Kuala Lumpur - Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim appeared in court Wednesday for a hearing on a sodomy charge.

Anwar, who is currently out of jail on bail of 20,000 ringgit (6,050 dollars), arrived at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court accompanied by his family and attorney.

Wednesday's hearing would see the defence fighting off an earlier request by the prosecution to transfer Anwar's highly publicized case to the High Court.

Anwar's lead counsel Sulaiman Abdullah has objected to a transfer, saying Sessions Court Judge SM Komathy Suppiah was adequately "capable and experienced" to hear the case.

Anwar's team has lauded Komathy for granting and then extending Anwar's bail, saying she ruled with fairness without fear.

In June, a 23-year-old former aide accused Anwar of sodomizing him.

Anwar, 61, denied the allegations and claimed he was being framed by senior police officers and politicians in a bid to thwart his rising political career.

If he is found guilty, Anwar could be imprisoned for up to 20 years.

Last month, Anwar marked his return to Parliament after a 10-year hiatus when he won a special election in northern Penang state by a landslide.

Anwar, a former deputy prime minister, also led a three-party opposition coalition to unprecedented gains in the country's March 8 elections, where the ruling National Front lost its two-thirds majority in Parliament along with its leadership of five of Malaysia's 13 states.

The latest criminal case is the second time that Anwar has had to fight off sodomy allegations.

In 1998, former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad fired Anwar as his deputy, and Anwar was charged with corruption and sodomy. Anwar was convicted on both charges, but the sodomy conviction was subsequently overturned, and he was released from prison in 2004.

Anwar has maintained those charges were trumped up to avert a political challenge to Mahathir. (dpa)