The United States has warned Malaysia against a "politically-motivated" investigation of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who is accused of sodomizing his aide. In doing so, the U.S. is taking the same stand it did a decade ago when Ibrahim was prosecuted on a similar charge.

"The main point for us is that the rule of law needs to stand above politics. And we would certainly oppose any use of law enforcement or judicial procedures for anything other than legitimate purposes of the law," The Star Online quoted U.S. State Department spokesman Tom Casey as saying in a report from Washington.

Noting that Ibrahim, 63, had faced similar charges in 1998, when he was deputy prime minister in the government of prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, and the conviction was overturned, Casey added: "So, we would hope that there’s not a pattern here.

The U.S. comment came hours after Ibrahim, seen as the future prime minister, left the Turkish Embassy where he had taken refuge last weekend after receiving threats.

Ibrahim has denied the sodomy charge levelled by an aide a decade after he was sacked from the government and jailed on a similar charge and claims of corruption. His wife and leader of the opposition in the Malaysian Parliament, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, told the media the police report on the sodomy charge was an attempt to ‘assassinate’ his political career.

When Ibrahim was charged with sodomy in 1998, he was prevented by a court order from contesting the charge. That ban ended in April.

The new allegation comes when he has indicated readiness to contest a byelection.

Ibrahim is the de facto leader of the Parti Keadilan Rakyat, which heads Malaysia’s opposition front and emerged with 82 seats in parliament and control of four states in elections held in March.

As the scandal unfolds, Many Malaysians are bewildered by the allegations and conspiracy theories that have surfaced following the fresh sodomy accusation .

Many also wonder if the latest political drama would distract from government efforts to tackle more pressing issues such as inflation and crime.