By Jonathan Kent BBC correspondent in Kuala Lumpur

Ibrahim doesn't believe he'll serve out his prison term

As the three appeal judges prepared to enter the court Anwar Ibrahim drew his hand across his throat.

"One hundred per cent," he said.

As he'd predicted the court dismissed his appeal against the sodomy conviction he received three years ago.

After the ruling Anwar hit out at the Malaysian Government.

"What difference is there with Mugabe?" he asked, "What difference from Saddam?"

Flawed trial

Anwar was arrested in September 1998 days after leaving the government of Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and leading protests against him.

His original trials were widely seen as flawed and politically motivated.

The US State Department still lists him as a political prisoner and representatives from the US Embassy were in court to observe the ruling.

I chatted with Anwar after the ruling.

"Why?" he asked. "The party is weak, the machinery is not there," he said referring to the National Justice Party (Keadilan) which he founded.

In doing so he had answered his own question.

His party is weak because its leader is in prison.

Optimist

Even after four years in jail Anwar has charisma and his release could still galvanise not just his own but other opposition parties.

Malaysia is gearing up for the planned handover of power from Dr Mahathir to the man who replaced Anwar as the prime minister's deputy, Abdullah Badawi.

A general election is on the horizon. A free Anwar would provide the government with an unwanted challenge.

He now faces six more years in jail - if he is given the mandatory one third remission of his sentence for good behaviour.

I asked him how he was facing up to the sentence.