KUALA LUMPUR: The Sessions Court today allowed an application by Hydroshoppe Sdn Bhd managing director Abdul Hamid Shaikh Abdul Razak Shaikh the temporary release of his passport for work trips to the US and Germany from tomorrow to early March.
Judge Suzana Hussin granted the application and ordered the passport to be given to Hamid,50, today and it must be returned to the court on or before March 21.
She ruled so after hearing submissions from Hamid's counsel, Weera Premananda and deputy public prosecutor Rasyidah Murni Azmi.
On April 5 last year, Hamid and Hydroshoppe were separately charged with offering RM500,000 per year for 15 years to Datuk Tan Ser Lay, 60, for the benefit of the then former communications and multimedia minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa.
Hamid was ordered to surrender his passport until the disposal of the case.
The money was an inducement to approve the acquisition of Menara KL by Hamid's company.
During proceedings today, Weera told the court that Hamid, as the representative of the company, needed to facilitate work visits to both countries.
He said Hamid will be visiting the Theater Operationally Resilient Command and Control system in the US from Feb 23 to March 1.
He added that Hamid will also be a co-exhibitor under the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents in Berlin from March 5 to 7.
"The reasons to support this application are because these are work visits and my client has always adhered to the conditions of the bail set before this.
"I believe the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) prosecution team will not object to this application.
"The application has been submitted to MACC," he said.
Rasyidah told the court that the MACC does not have any objection to the application, which sought the temporary release of the passport from Feb 22 to March 20.
"The passport must be returned to the court as early as possible on March 21," she said.
On Jan 30 this year, the Sessions Court dismissed Hydroshoppe's application for a discharge not amounting to an acquittal or a temporary suspension of the trial pending the disposal of Hamid's corruption charge.