KUALA LUMPUR: Former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin failed in his bid for the temporary release of his passport to go to Uzbekistan with his wife to celebrate their 52nd wedding anniversary.
Sessions Court Judge Azura Alwi dismissed the application by Muhyiddin because the reasons given were unreasonable.
“The applicant can still go on holiday and celebrate any occasion but not abroad,” she said yesterday, Bernama reported.
Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Noralis Mat stated that the prosecution objected to the application because the Pagoh MP’s reasons for wanting to holiday abroad with his wife and celebrate their 52nd wedding anniversary were frivolous.
“The accused (Muhyiddin) must have reasonable, urgent and critical reasons.
“Citing stress from court charges, especially those under the Sedition Act, as a reason to take a vacation abroad is very trivial.
“Celebrating wedding anniversaries and holidaying can be done in Malaysia.
“In addition, the court also needs to consider the seriousness of the charges and the risk of the accused fleeing,” said DPP Noralis, who prosecuted the case with DPP Zander Lim Wai Keong.
When applying for the temporary release of the travel document, lawyer Datuk Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, representing Muhyiddin, said his client would leave for Uzbekistan on Oct 4 and would return on Oct 12.
“My client is not a ‘flight risk’ since he is the president of Bersatu and has to attend the Parliament sitting, scheduled from Oct 14 to Dec 12. He will return his passport to the court on Oct 14,” he said.
In the application, Muhyiddin said he and his wife were planning on taking a short trip to Uzbekistan as a respite from the various challenges facing him – including the sedition case at the Gua Musang court in Kelantan – and also to spend time together in conjunction with their 52nd wedding anniversary that fell on Sept 22.
Last Sept 11, the Court of Appeal dismissed Muhyiddin’s application to review the decision of its previous panel in reinstating the four abuse of power charges involving RM232.5mil against him.
Muhyiddin, 77, was charged with using his position as the then-prime minister to obtain RM232.5mil in bribes from Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd, Nepturis Sdn Bhd, Mamfor Sdn Bhd and Datuk Azman Yusoff for his political party.
He was charged with committing the offence at the Prime Minister’s Office, Bangunan Perdana Putra, Federal Government Administration Centre in Putrajaya between March 1, 2020, and Aug 20, 2021.
The Bersatu president also faces two charges of receiving money from illegal activities amounting to RM195mil from Bukhary Equity, which was deposited into Bersatu’s CIMB bank account.
The offence was committed at Menara CIMB on Jalan Stesen Sentral, Kuala Lumpur, between Feb 25 and July 16, 2021, and between Feb 8 and July 8, 2022.
Muhyiddin was also charged in the Sessions Court in Shah Alam on March 13 last year with receiving money from illegal activities amounting to RM5mil.
The Sessions Court here will hear the case jointly.
