But unlike his previous release from prison in 2003, Anwar today walks out amid intense attention from the mainstream media, just days after the historic win in the May 9 polls by Pakatan Harapan, an alliance between his partners in the former opposition and his mentor-turned-nemesis-turned-ally, Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Anwar, dressed in a full suit and maroon tie, was greeted by a large crowd including reporters who had waited outside the Cheras Rehabilitation Hospital, where he had been undergoing treatment.
He will now be joined by his wife, Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and Selangor Menteri Besar Mohamed Azmin Ali, to have an audience with the Agong at the Istana Negara in Jalan Duta.
Also awaiting him at the palace is Mahathir.