**The Malaysian opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, has appeared in court to face charges of sodomy for the second time in a decade.**Mr Anwar denounced the proceedings as the “machinations of a dirty, corrupt few” as he entered the courtroom in the capital, Kuala Lumpur.
He could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
Mr Anwar served six years after an earlier sodomy conviction, but led the opposition to election gains in 2008.
The gains represented a major challenge to Prime Minister Najib Razak, whose coalition has held power for more than 50 years.
‘Shocked’
Mr Anwar was accompanied by his wife and two daughters as he entered the courtroom. Dozens of his supporters shouted “reform, reform”.
The 62-year-old former deputy premier has consistently maintained the charges against him are a political conspiracy.
Government officials deny there is any plot against him.
The sodomy allegations have been levelled by a 24-year-old former aide.
Last week, Mr Anwar said he was “shocked with the [government’s] impunity to go on with such a case despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary”.
On Friday, the Federal Court upheld a lower court’s ruling that he could not have access to medical evidence held by prosecutors.
Mr Anwar’s lawyer said the refusal had had “an emasculating effect in our preparation of the defence”.
Rights groups have criticised the trial.
Amnesty International accused the government of using “the same old dirty tricks in an attempt to remove the opposition leader from politics”.
There were huge protests after Mr Anwar’s first conviction for sodomy a decade ago. He was freed on appeal in 2004.
All homosexual acts are criminal in Malaysia.