Malaysia's Anwar Ibrahim pardoned, walks out of hospital

KUALA LUMPUR, May 16 (Reuters) - Jailed Malaysian leader Anwar Ibrahim was granted a full pardon on Wednesday and walked free out of a hospital in Kuala Lumpur where he has been undergoing treatment.

Smiling and waving to supporters, Anwar, 70, was wearing a black suit with a tie. He was surrounded by his family, lawyers and prison guards before getting into a car and driving to the palace for an audience with the king.

"The pardons board has already met and the king has granted a full pardon, which means all past convictions have been expunged," said Sivarasa Rasiah, Anwar's lawyer. (Reporting by Joseph Sipalan, Editing by Praveen Menon and Raju Gopalakrishnan)