Jailed ex-deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim's application to be freed o­n bail pending the disposal of his appeal against his nine years sentence for a sodomy conviction, will be heard next Friday.

His lawyer Sankara Nair said the Court of Appeal informed him that the application would be heard o­n May 9 but made no mention of the coram that would sit to hear the matter.

He also confirmed that the bail application by Anwar's co-accused and adopted brother Sukma Darmawan Sasmitaat Madja, would also be heard o­n the same day.

Anwar and Sukma filed the application o­n April 22 following the direction made by the Court of Appeal o­n April 18 where their (Anwar and Sukma's) oral applications for bail and stay of executions were rejected.

The two had sought for bail and stay of execution after justices Pajan Singh Gill, Richard Malajum and Hashim Mohd Yusof dismissed their appeals to set aside their convictions and sentences for sodomy offences.

Refusing Anwar's application for bail, the court also revoked Sukma's RM50,000 bail and ordered him to serve his sentence with immediate effect.

New ground

On Aug 8, 2000, High Court judge Arifin Jaka (photo) found Anwar guilty of sodomising Azizan Abu Bakar, the former driver of Anwar's wife and Keadilan president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

He also found Sukma guilty of sodomising Azizan and abetting Anwar, and jailed the Indonesian six years and four strokes of the rotan, but had allowed the former bail and stay of execution pending appeal.

Met at his office today, Sankara told malaysiakini that he has filed an additional affidavit stating a new ground for the court's consideration.

In the affidavit, Sankara urged the court to consider the fact that Anwar's eldest daughter's wedding has been scheduled o­n May 10.

"We urge the court to consider this as a ground when considering whether or not to allow the applicant's application for a stay of execution and bail pending appeal at the Federal Court," he stated in the affidavit in which he tendered the wedding invitation as an exhibit.

Nurul's wedding

He also informed that while the wedding celebrations is o­n May 10, Nurul Izzah's akad nikah (marriage vows) ceremony has been set o­n the morning of May 9 - the same day of the hearing.

"While he is glad that the court has finally set a date to deliberate o­n the matter, he was saddened that the hearing is o­n the same day which his eldest daughter, Nurul Izzah is scheduled to be married," he said.

Asked if the akad nikah would be delayed because of the hearing, Sankara said there has been no plan to make changes.

"But we are trying to make arrangements with the relevant party as to how we are going to sort out the problem," he said.

He also said that Anwar has already submitted a request last week to prison officials stating that he needs to attend the akad nikah ceremony as Nurul Izzah's wali (the father or guardian who gives away the bride). However, there has been no reply yet.

Under Islamic rites, the daughter is obligated to be married in the presence of the father who would act as the wali. This requirement can o­nly be exempted under several strict requirements.

When contacted today, Nurul Izzah stressed that she would o­nly get married with her father as her wali.