TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Jailed Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim lost his final bid for freedom when a federal court rejected his appeal to set aside his sodomy conviction and five-year jail term on Wednesday, December 14, 2016, according to a Reuters report.

Once a rising star in the ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party, Anwar is the greatest threat to Prime Minister Najib Razak and his coalition after leading a three-party opposition alliance to stunning electoral gains in 2013.

A panel of five judges ruled that Anwar's application for a review of his 2014 conviction, his final legal option for an acquittal, was without merit.

"This is not a fit or proper case for this court to exercise its inherent jurisdiction to initiate a review," Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin, the Chief Judge of Malaya, said as he read excerpts from a 60-page ruling, as quoted by Reuters.

Anwar was convicted and jailed for sodomizing a former aide, a charge he and his supporters describe as a politically motivated attempt to end his career.

"This is not the end of the road ... I have pleaded and reiterated my innocence, but the judiciary has ignored my pleas," Anwar told reporters in the court after the verdict.

"This is a long walk to freedom," Anwar added.

REUTERS