Among those under investigation are Rafizi Ramli, secretary-general of Anwar's Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), and Nga Kor Ming, an opposition MP, the New York Times reported.

After Tuesday's verdict against Anwar, the driving force behind the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) alliance, Rafizi posted on Twitter an image of a judge with a wig emblazoned with dollar signs. Nga tweeted a message that urged people to "fight this cruel regime".

In response, the country's top police officer, Khalid Abu Bakar, tweeted: "We will take action under the Sedition Act."

Khalid has been aggressively policing the internet, which has been seen by critics of the government as a liberating force in Malaysia, unlike television and the print news media.

"He is always telling you what you can and cannot do," said BFM radio station host Ezra Zaid, referring to Khalid's messages on Twitter. "But unlike other Twitter trolls, he has the power to arrest you," he said.

On Wednesday night, a band of prison officers in riot gear faced off against some 150 supporters who converged outside the Sungai Buloh prison, where Anwar is held, to protest against the verdict.

PKR vice-president Tian Chua said PR will hold candlelight vigils every night to demand Anwar's release, The Star reported.

Anwar, 67, saw his political career derailed once more when the Federal Court rejected an appeal against his conviction and upheld his five-year jail term for having sodomised former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

The decision was a flashback to the year 2000, when the former deputy prime minister was thrown behind bars for a similar charge: sodomising his former chauffeur. But his nine-year sentence was cut short in 2004, when the conviction was overturned by the Federal Court.

His latest incarceration was swiftly condemned on the international level, with Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop expressing concerns over "the severity of the sentence".

But in an interview with the New Straits Times published yesterday, lead prosecutor Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, who persuaded the highest court to rule against Anwar, hit back at critics, who he said would be forced to eat humble pie after they examine the full written judgment, which would be issued soon.

Top leaders of PR - comprising PKR, the Democratic Action Party (DAP) and Parti Islam SeMalaysia - will meet today to discuss the contentious issue of who should fill Anwar's shoes as opposition leader in Parliament and MP of Permatang Pauh.

In a bid to pull the alliance together after losing Anwar, DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang yesterday urged the other component parties to close ranks and cast aside their differences for the next eight years "for a serious bid for Putrajaya" in the next election, which is due in 2018. (***)

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