A Malaysian judge has refused to recuse himself in opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy trial.
Mr. Anwar had accused High Court Judge Mohamad Zabidin Diah of being biased against him in the trial and had urged him to stand down.
Mr. Zabidin ruled on Thursday that Mr. Anwar’s application had no merit. He said “I cannot see how a reasonable person will view my conduct as biased.”
Mr. Anwar could be jailed for up to 20 years if he is convicted of sodomizing a 24-year-old man who was his former aide, effectively ending his political career and his aspirations to become prime minister.
Mr. Zabidin said the trial will continue with the 25-year-old aide, Saiful Bukhari Azlan, likely to be cross examined later Thursday.
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