FORMER prime minister Najib Razak can travel to Singapore to visit his pregnant daughter, Nooryana Najwa, who is expected to give birth soon, after the Court of Appeal allowed his impounded passport to be returned temporarily. 

Judge Kamaludin Md Said, who chaired a three-member bench, delivered the unanimous decision after hearing submissions from Najib’s lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah. 

Shafee said that Najib was requesting the passport to be collected on Wednesday, so that he could renew his travel document, which has expired. 

Explaining the travel itinerary, Shafee said that Najib only plans to fly to Singapore on November 3, after completing his Budget 2022 debate in Parliament a day earlier and is expected to return on November 20. 

“He would need to quarantine in Singapore for 10 days and only will be reunited with his daughter on November 14. 

“He is scheduled to return on November 20, which means he will only get to spend a week with his daughter,” Shafee said. 

Deputy public prosecutor Mohd Fairuz Johari, appearing for the prosecution, said there were no objections from their side and left the matter to the wisdom of the court. 

Kamaludin said the court will release Najib’s passport on Wednesday, so that he could renew his travel document and be in the island republic from November 3. 

Kamaludin ordered Najib to return the passport to the court on November 22. 

“The application is reasonable and hence it is approved. 

“The passport must be returned to the court on November 22,” Kamaludin said. 

Other members of the bench were P. Ravinthran and Abu Bakar Jais. 

Last week, the Kuala Lumpur High Court agreed to return the passport of Najib’s wife Rosmah Mansor for the same reason.

She was only allowed to travel to the city-state and was barred from staying there for more than a month.

Najib was present in court today when the decision was delivered. 

Shafee said since Najib would need to undergo a quarantine upon his return to Malaysia, a representative will return the passport to the court on November 22. The court agreed. 

This trip outside of Malaysia would be Najib’s first in three years since the Barisan Nasional government lost the 14th general election in 2018. 

Najib’s passport was seized by authorities following his arrest and subsequent corruption charges related to the 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal in 2018.

He was later found guilty of all seven charges of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust (CBT) and money laundering in relation to the RM42 million belonging to SRC International Sdn Bhd.

The high court sentenced Najib to 10 years’ jail on each of the three counts of CBT and each of the three counts of money laundering, and 12 years’ jail and a RM210 million fine, in default five years’ jail, for abusing his position..

However, he will only serve 12 years in jail as the judge ordered all jail sentences to run concurrently. He is now appealing against them. – October 18, 2021.