ANWAR'S POLITICAL CAREER

1974: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, then an Islamic youth leader, is detained for leading an anti-government protest. He spends 20 months in jail.

1982: He shocks supporters by joining Umno at the invitation of Prime Minister and Umno president Mahathir Mohamad.

1983: Becomes Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, the start of his meteoric rise up government ranks.

1991: Made Minister of Finance.

1993: Promoted to Deputy Prime Minister.

Sept 2, 1998: Sacked from Cabinet posts and later expelled from Umno.

Sept 20, 1998: Tens of thousands of his supporters take to the streets, calling for Tun Dr Mahathir to resign. Mr Anwar is arrested at home.

Sept 29, 1998: He turns up in court with a black eye (right), after being beaten by police chief Abdul Rahim Noor. Pleads not guilty to charges of corruption and sodomy, which he says were politically motivated.

April 1999: Sentenced to six years' jail for corruption.

August 2000: Sentenced to nine years' jail for sodomy.

September 2004: He is released after the Federal Court acquits him of the sodomy charge. But his corruption conviction means he is banned from politics for five years.

March 2008: Malaysia's opposition wins five states in the general election and denies Barisan Nasional (BN) its two-thirds majority in Parliament.

June 2008: His former aide Saiful Bukhari Azlan lodges a police report claiming he was sodomised by Mr Anwar.

August 2008: Wins Permatang Pauh by-election after his wife vacates the seat for him to contest. Returns to Parliament as leader of the opposition.

January 2012: The High Court acquits Mr Anwar of second sodomy charge.

May 2013: Leads Pakatan Rakyat to win 51 per cent of the popular vote in the election. But BN wins more parliamentary seats and retains control.

March 2014: Court of Appeal overturns High Court ruling, sentencing Mr Anwar to five years in jail for sodomy.

February 2015: Federal Court upholds conviction.

September 2016: Mr Anwar and Dr Mahathir meet for the first time since 1998 and mend ties.

July 2017: Mr Anwar is named de facto leader of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, with Dr Mahathir as chairman.

May 2018: PH wins the general election. One week later, Mr Anwar is granted a full pardon by the King and released from prison.