March 13 hearing for Na’imah bid to get passport back

KUALA LUMPUR: A revision application by Toh Puan Na’imah Abdul Khalid against the Sessions Court’s decision to impound her passport will be heard by the High Court on March 13.

Justice Ahmad Bache set the date for the application by the wife of former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin during case management here yesterday.

He ordered for the written submission by both parties to be submitted to the court by March 4.

“Parties must reply to the submissions by March 11 and oral submissions before the court on March 13,” Justice Ahmad said.

Earlier, Na’imah’s lawyer M. Puravalen informed the court that the defence had submitted the revision application on Feb 16.

Deputy public prosecutors Ahmad Feisal Mohd Azmi and Mohd Fadhly Mohd Zamry confirmed that the prosecution had received the court document yesterday.

On Jan 23, Na’imah, 66, claimed trial at the Sessions Court for failing to comply with a notice by not declaring her assets.

She is currently out on a RM250,000 bail and had to surrender her passport to the court as part of the bail conditions.

Last week, she filed the revision application at the High Court for the higher court to revise the Sessions Court’s decision regarding her passport.

Na’imah, through her lawyer Rajesh Nagarajan, claimed the prosecution had failed to give any good reason for the court to take away her travel document.

The prosecution, Rajesh said, had not shown proof of her “tendency” to abscond from her hearing.

Rajesh said the Sessions Court’s order was a miscarriage of justice and should be revised.

“We state that the right to a passport is a constitutional right in accordance with Article 5(1) and 9 of the Federal Constitution.

“Good reason must be given. An order to impound passports should not be given routinely to the prosecution,” Rajesh added.