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Monday June 30, 6:40 PM Malaysia's Anwar to leave Turkish embassy refuge Photo: AFP Click to enlarge KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim prepared Monday to leave the Turkish embassy where he fled after being accused of sodomy, and filed a lawsuit against his accuser. "I will be leaving the embassy at 6.15 or 6.30 (1015-1030 GMT), accompanied by my lawyers and my wife Azizah. I have not decided where I will be going from here," he told AFP by telephone. Anwar, a former deputy premier who was sacked and jailed a decade ago on sodomy and corruption counts, said the new charges levelled by a 23-year-old aide were designed to derail his stunning political comeback. "They came out with these sexual allegations to stop me from securing power," said the charismatic 60-year-old whose opposition alliance seized a third of parliamentary seats in March elections. "There's two reasons why I decided to come to the embassy. It's not just for my personal safety, it's also for the stability of the nation," he said, referring to expectations of major protests if he is arrested. Anwar, a friend of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, sought sanctuary on Sunday, saying he feared a government assassination plot after being hit with the "fabricated" sex allegations. He had earlier sought assurances on his safety from the government. "You know I have previously been assaulted to near death," Anwar said, referring to a beating at the hands of the police chief after he was sacked. Foreign Minister Rais Yatim said he had summoned the Turkish ambassador and warned he would "suffer the consequences of obstructing justice" he allowed Anwar to evade a police investigation. "The ambassador is of the view that he would like Anwar to be out of the premises as soon as possible, as congenially as possible... we hope that is the case," he told a press conference. Anwar's lawyers on Monday filed a writ at the High Court charging the young aide with libel and filing a false police report, saying the complaint was malicious and designed to destroy his political career. After his sacking, a watershed event in Malaysian politics, Anwar was convicted on the sodomy and corruption charges and sent to jail for six years. He was released in 2004 when the sex charge was overturned. The opposition leader said the new allegations came just as he was about to re-enter parliament through a by-election. He was ineligible until mid-April because of the corruption conviction. But he said he was still on track to seize power, with the help of defecting government lawmakers. "The momentum is still on," he said. Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar accused Anwar of staging a drama and said that he was perfectly safe. "No one has endangered his life, a private person has made a police report against him. You should allow the police to investigate," he told reporters. "It is play-acting on the part of Anwar to gain sympathy, to show that his life is in danger. I give guarantees that his life will be protected, his life is not under threat at all." Leading human rights group Suaram said the allegations were a sign of desperation by the ruling coalition as it faced being ousted by Anwar's resurgent opposition. "We see this as a politically motivated move by the ruling party. They are at the brink of losing power and support of the people," said Suaram's executive director Yap Swee Seng. "I think there will be a wave of street protests in support of Anwar against these wild allegations," he said. "People are fed up with corruption and abuse of power by this regime."