CRI听力:Malaysia's Top Court Sends Anwar Ibrahim to Five Years in Jail

Malaysia's top court has upheld an earlier conviction against opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, sentencing him to five years in prison for a sodomy conviction.

Anwar had challenged the conviction handed down last year for sodomizing a former male aide.

However, Malaysia's Federal Court has struck down his appeal, saying there is "overwhelming evidence" of sodomy, which is punishable in Malaysia by up to 20 years in prison.

Anwar contends the charges are a "political conspiracy" against him.

Anwar's wife Wan Azizah, who heads the opposition People's Justice Party, is vowing the opposition coalition will never surrender.

"It's not a setback for Pakatan Rakyat because it has been happening and there has been discussions about the possibility of it happening, knowing the situation of the politics in our country. So it's not a setback because I think it's going to give us more reason to continue our struggle."

The ruling, though, is being viewed as a significant blow to both Anwar and the opposition.

67-year old Anwar will be barred from politics for five years after his release from prison, making a political comeback unlikely.

Anwar, a former deputy Prime Minister in the ruling government in the late 1990's, is credited with helping create a viable opposition coalition after his ouster from the ruling administration.

Following major gains made in the 2013 election, many observers have suggested the opposition could be a legitimate challenge to the ruling coalition, which has been in-charge in Malaysia since the country's independence in 1957.