The High Court has scheduled a hearing for March 13 to address an application by Toh Puan Na’imah Abdul Khalid, wife of former Finance Minister Tun Daim Zainuddin, seeking a review of the Session’s Court decision to retain her passport. Na’imah was charged with failure to declare her assets, prompting the court to withhold her passport. Justice Datuk Ahmad Bache presided over the case management and set deadlines for written submissions, with oral arguments scheduled for March 13, where the judge may render a decision.
Represented by deputy public prosecutors Ahmad Feisal Mohd Azmi and Mohd Fadhly Mohd Zamry, the prosecution acknowledged receiving Na’imah's application. Her legal counsel, Rajesh Nagarajan, argued that the prosecution lacked sufficient grounds to justify withholding her passport, emphasizing that such actions shouldn't become routine. Na’imah contends that the court's decision to impound her passport as a bail condition was unjust and disproportionate, highlighting the absence of evidence suggesting she posed a flight risk.
Na’imah, 66, was charged on January 23 in the Sessions Court for failing to declare her assets, including properties in Kuala Lumpur and Penang. Judge Azura Alwi granted her bail at RM250,000 with one surety and ordered her to surrender her passport. Subsequently, on January 29, her husband, 85-year-old Tun Daim Zainuddin, faced similar charges involving assets like bank accounts, luxury vehicles, companies, and properties.
Both Na’imah and Tun Daim Zainuddin were charged under Section 36(2) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, which carries a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment and a fine of up to RM100,000 upon conviction. Na’imah asserts that the passport condition imposed by the court lacks justification and constitutes an injustice. The upcoming hearing on March 13 will determine whether her passport will be returned or remain withheld, influencing the trajectory of the legal proceedings against her.
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