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KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court has granted Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's application for the temporary release of his passport to travel for a medical examination for pancreatic cancer in the United Kingdom and to spend time with his family.
Justice Noor Ruwena Md Nurdin allowed the application by Muhyiddin, 78, for the temporary release of his passport from Dec 8 to Jan 5.
"The application is allowed on the condition that the period for the passport's return is adjusted," she said on Tuesday (Nov 18).
"The passport shall be temporarily released to the applicant's solicitor on Dec 8, 2025, and not today and must be returned to the court registry on or before Jan 5, 2026.
"Based on the supporting affidavit, I see no justification for a transit in Dubai for five to six days before returning to Malaysia. The applicant may transit in Dubai for one to two days.
"The applicant booked his tickets before obtaining the court's permission and, as such, he assumed the risk. This action would potentially open the 'floodgates' for similar applications."
Previously, the court had on several occasions allowed Muhyiddin's applications for the temporary release of his passport, including to attend his grandchild's graduation ceremony, to consult on his pancreatic cancer condition in London, for medical examinations in Singapore and to attend the opening of his friend's restaurant in Thailand.
Earlier, Muhyiddin’s counsel, Datuk Amer Hamzah Arshad, informed the court that his client applied for the release of his passport from today until Jan 12 to undergo his annual follow-up medical examination for pancreatic cancer in the UK.
"Aside from the medical examination and seeking a medical opinion in the UK, my client also intends to spend time with his family. He has three grandchildren who reside there.
"After his medical appointments are concluded, he also hopes to spend some time with his wife and family in Madrid," the lawyer submitted, adding that his client did not pose a flight risk.
Deputy public prosecutor Mahadi Abdul Jumaat responded that the prosecution did not object to Muhyiddin's application for follow-up treatment in the UK.
However, it objected to the part of the application concerning his time with his wife and family in Madrid, arguing that it would set a precedent and "open the floodgates" for similar requests.
"If the court is inclined to allow the applicant's application, the prosecution applies for the permitted period to be limited to Dec 20, 2025 only," he said. Also appearing for the prosecution were DPPs Noralis Mat and Wan Iman Wan Ahmad Afzal.
Muhyiddin, who at the material time held the office of prime minister and president of Bersatu, faces four charges of abusing his position to obtain gratification totalling RM232.5mil.
The charges relate to the Jana Wibawa project and involve three companies, Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd, Nepturis Sdn Bhd, and Mamfor Sdn Bhd, as well as one Datuk Azman Yusoff, for the benefit of the said political party.
The offences are alleged to have been committed at the Prime Minister's Office, Perdana Putra Building, Federal Government Administrative Centre in Putrajaya, between March 1, 2020, and Aug 20, 2021.
He also faces an additional two charges of money laundering for having received proceeds from unlawful activities amounting to RM200 million from Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd, allegedly deposited into the Ambank and CIMB Bank accounts belonging to Bersatu at the respective bank branches in Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur between February 2021 and July 2022. – Bernama
