SHAH ALAM: Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi will be heading to Germany for medical treatment after the High Court here granted his application to temporarily return his international passport to him.
Judge Datuk Mohd Yazid Mustafa made the ruling following Zahid's application through his lawyer Datuk Ahmad Zaidi Zainal.
Ahmad Zaidi said the defence made a similar application at the Kuala Lumpur High Court last week.
"We made the same application here today for the same reason as mentioned during proceedings at the Kuala Lumpur High Court.
"This application will not disturb the trial dates which have been fixed here," he said.
It was reported that Zahid made the same application before Judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequarah last week citing that he has been suffering from neck and back pain.
The accused's counsel Hamidi Mohd Noh said the current pain intervention treatment was not sufficient to improve his client's condition.
Hamidi said they needed to get the passport before Oct 26 and will return it back to the court on Nov 21.
Sequarah will make the decision later today.
The former deputy prime minister was admitted under the care of the Avisena Specialist Hospital, in Shah Alam on Aug 22 due to injuries he sustained as a result of a fall.
Zahid, 68, is facing 33 alternative charges of receiving SGD13.46 million from Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd as an inducement to extend the company's contract as the operator of One Stop Centre in China and the VLN system as well as to maintain the agreement to supply VLN integrated system paraphernalia to the same company by the Home Ministry.
The Bagan Datuk member of parliament is also facing another seven charges of accepting SGD1,150,000; RM3,000,000; €15,000 and USD15,000 in cash from the same company which he knew had connection with his function as then Home Minister.