In a 2008 interview with Malaysiakini, a now-estranged former lieutenant of Anwar Ibrahim revealed what transpired behind the scenes during Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's tenure as prime minister, particularly regarding the PKR president’s deteriorating health four years earlier.

Addressing his 2004 meetings with Umno leaders and his relationship with Khairy Jamaluddin, Ezam Md Nor explained that he viewed the attempts to lure him back to Umno as an opportunity to negotiate Anwar’s release from prison - or at the very least, to secure permission for him to seek medical treatment overseas....