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 Anwar was the ruling party's rising star in the mid-1990s before
he fell out with then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
Since then, Anwar has been beset by legal problems and spent several
years in prison after being convicted of corruption and an earlier
sodomy charge.
But the charismatic Anwar, who heads a three-party opposition
alliance, remains the greatest threat to Malaysia's political
establishment.
"Based on the facts and the law, I see no other possibilities, no
other options, except to acquit me of all these frivolous charges,"
Anwar told supporters outside the court after his legal team wound
up their arguments.
"Clear people can see now, with the evidence of fabrication, of
conspiracy, of the powers that be," he said.
On Thursday, his lawyers questioned DNA evidence.
They said a DNA sample taken from a male former political aide who
in 2008 accused Anwar of sodomising him had taken 96 hours to reach
a chemist and was contaminated and possibly tampered with.
The government has rejected the notion of political interference in
Anwar's conviction saying Malaysia had an independent judiciary and
the case was a matter for the courts.
A court convicted Anwar in March and sentenced him to five years in
prison. Sodomy is illegal in Malaysia.
Malaysia's highest court began considering his appeal on Tuesday and
is expected to complete the hearing early next week.
'TWO SIDES'
If Anwar, 67, loses the appeal he faces a return to jail and would
be barred from contesting the next general election that must be
held by 2018.
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A ruling against him could also inflame tension after opposition
gains in a general election last year when Prime Minister Najib
Razak's ruling alliance recorded its worst-ever performance, raising
the possibility of a genuine challenge for the ruling party that has
held power in multi-ethnic Malaysia since 1957.
Lead prosecutor Muhammad Shafee Abdullah told reporters he would be
setting out the full facts on Friday.
"There are always two sides to a case, that's the beauty about the
law. We can answer all the issues raised," he said.
Scores of Anwar's supporters have thronged at security barriers
manned by police outside the court in Kuala Lumpur this week, but
there has been no trouble.
Anwar has urged them not to resort to violence and not to be
provoked.
Anwar was sacked as deputy prime minister and finance minister in
1998 and then campaigned against corruption and nepotism and led a
nationwide "reformasi" (reform) protest movement before he was
jailed in 1999 for corruption.
In 2000, he was convicted of sodomy for the first time. The
conviction was overturned in 2004 and Anwar was released from prison
and returned to head a revitalized opposition.
(Editing by Robert Birsel)
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