Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has pleaded not guilty at the start of his long-delayed sodomy trial, says a BBC News report.

Prosecutors say he sodomised a male aide, and they claim that traces of Anwar's DNA were found in medical tests on the man making the allegations.Anwar has consistently denied the charges, calling them a conspiracy aimed at breaking his increasingly strong political movement. Homosexual acts are illegal in Malaysia and he faces up to 20 years in prison. This is not the first time the charismatic opposition leader - who was once the Deputy Prime Minister until his sudden sacking in 1998 - has faced a sodomy claim. He served six years after an earlier conviction, which was subsequently overturned on appeal.
Full BBC News report