He spent six years in prison on charges he claimed were trumped up. Conspiracy or otherwise, it did not stop him from rocking the foundations of the ruling coalition in two subsequent general elections.

Now the 67-year-old politician is in the final leg of exhausting the legal avenues over another sodomy charge, which he claims was also fabricated by his political rivals.

If the Federal Court rejects his appeal, Anwar Ibrahim will have to spend another five years behind bars.

And in an interview with international magazine The Diplomat , the opposition leader is certain that he will not get a fair hearing and that going back to prison is a foregone conclusion.