The Kuala Lumpur court has approved former Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin's application to temporarily retrieve his passport to visit his ailing sister-in-law in Australia.
Judge Azura today (25th) approved the application submitted by Muhyiddin's representative lawyer Kee Wee Lun, with Deputy Public Prosecutor Noralisma not raising any objections.
"The passport will be handed over to the applicant today, and it must be returned to the court by May 20."
Prior to this, the court had approved several applications for Muhyiddin to temporarily retrieve his passport to travel abroad, including attending his granddaughter's graduation ceremony in the UK, seeking medical consultation on his pancreatic cancer, undergoing medical checks in Singapore, and attending the opening ceremony of a friend's restaurant in Thailand.
77-year-old Muhyiddin, in his capacity as Prime Minister and Chairman of the Malaysian United Indigenous Party, is accused of using his position to solicit bribes totaling RM232.5 million for the party from Bukhary Equity Private Limited, Nepturis Private Limited, Mamfor Private Limited, and Dato' Azmin Yusof.
He is alleged to have committed these acts between March 1, 2020, and August 20, 2021, at the Prime Minister's Office in the Putrajaya Administrative Centre.
Muhyiddin also faces two additional charges of money laundering, accused of receiving proceeds from illegal activities totaling RM195 million from Bukhary Equity Private Limited, which were deposited into the party's CIMB Bank account.
He is alleged to have committed these acts between February 25 and July 16, 2021, and between February 8 and July 8, 2022, at the CIMB Bank branch on KL Sentral road in Kuala Lumpur.
He was also charged on May 13, 2023, at the Shah Alam Sessions Court in Selangor with receiving RM5 million in proceeds from illegal activities, but this case has been transferred to the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court for a joint trial.