Speaking to US-based journalist Mehdi Hasan in a recent interview, Anwar said he had never given Zahid a pass as the latter was never convicted in the first place.

“I did not drop the case. It was for the attorney-general to decide. It was an independent decision by the attorney-general,” he said.

Anwar said the important thing to focus on is that large-scale corruption cases are still being investigated and charged. “It’s for the court to decide, not me,” he said.

When Hasan raised the point of how the discharge not amounting to an acquittal granted to Zahid can be perceived, Anwar said corruption is centred on “law and facts, not perception”.

Hasan: Do you at least understand the perception that it looks odd that your deputy prime minister gets off, but your political opponents get investigated?

Anwar: Issues of corruption are issues of law and facts, not perception. Perception does matter, but when you are in the position to execute (matters) and run the country, you don’t run based on perception. (The Attorney-General’s Chambers) has also dropped cases against opposition leaders. Why is that not an issue?

When asked if he had given “marching orders” to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Anwar replied: “I did give general marching orders. Do not condone corruption. Move aggressively.”

In the interview, published last Friday, Hasan had asked Anwar about a recent report by Bloomberg accusing the prime minister of perpetuating revenge politics.

The article had reported MACC chief Azam Baki as telling officials that instructions had come from Anwar himself to investigate former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his sons, as well as former finance minister Daim Zainuddin.

In response, Anwar described the report as making a “very frivolous assertion”.

“I did not instruct for investigations,” he said.

He added: “As far as I’m concerned, if you use your office to amass billions of dollars … I can’t close (cases) just because you happen to be in the opposition or the government.”