KUALA LUMPUR: Former Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has been granted temporary release of his passport by the Sessions Court to visit his 82-year-old cancer-stricken sister in Australia.
The court approved the request, allowing him to travel to Australia on Sunday and return on May 25.
Muhyiddin's lead counsel, Datuk Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, presented the application before Judge Azura Alwi, who ruled in favour of granting the temporary release of the passport.
The court instructed Muhyiddin's lawyer to return the passport by May 28.
The prosecution, represented by Deputy Public Prosecutor Nor Asma Ahmad, did not oppose the application, acknowledging Muhyiddin's reasonable excuse for the travel.
In a separate matter, Hisyam also applied to postpone his client's corruption trials pending their final bid to restore Muhyiddin's discharge and acquittal on four abuse of power charges connected to the Jana Wibawa scandal at the Court of Appeal.
"We have filed the application for leave and asked for that application to be heard first," he said.
Muhyiddin's application will be heard before a five-member bench on July 9.
Nor Asma said the prosecution was objecting (on the postponement) and would file their submissions soon.
The court set June 13 to hear the matter.
On March 10 last year, Muhyiddin was charged with four counts of using his position as prime minister and Bersatu president between March 1, 2020 and Aug 20, 2021 to obtain bribes amounting to RM232.5 million from three companies.
Subsequently, Muhyiddin applied to quash the charges under Section 23 (1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act.
On Aug 15, High Court judge Datuk Muhammad Jamil Hussin struck out the case, ruling that all four charges were defective.
However, on Feb 28, the appellate court allowed the prosecution's appeal to reinstate four abuse of power charges against Muhyiddin in connection to the Jana Wibawa programme.
The Pagoh member of parliament is also standing trial on money laundering totalling RM5 million, which he received from Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd and deposited into Bersatu's bank account.