KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim walked out of the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court on a RM20,000 ($8,430) personal bond without surety after he pleaded not guilty to a charge of sodomising former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

Many PKR supporters welcomed the decision of the judge to allow the bond because the PKR adviser was charged under Section 377B of the Penal Code for committing unnatural sex, a non-bailable offence.

The giving of bail is a discretionary exercise by the Sessions court.

The offence is said to have been committed at Desa Damansara Condominium in Jalan Setiakasih, Bukit Damansara, between 3.01pm and 4.30pm on June 26.

The prosecution is led by Solicitor-General Datuk Idrus Harun and Attorney-General's Chambers' head of prosecution Datuk Mohd Yusof Zainal Abiden.

The defence is a nine-man team led by senior lawyer Sulaiman Abdullah.

The whole process of charging, granting bail and leaving the courthouse was over in 90 minutes without much fuss.