KUALA LUMPUR – Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is postponing his trip to Singapore to visit his pregnant daughter to assist Umno’s election machinery in the Melaka polls scheduled for November 20.
Najib said he has been entrusted to ensure that all operations within the party run smoothly and accordingly, following the departure of Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to Germany for medical treatment.
Based on court documents obtained at the high court here today, Najib has applied to amend the date of the return of his passport from November 22 to December 6.
“I have to postpone my trip to Singapore until the Melaka election is over.
“I have changed my plans where I will depart for Singapore on November 21 and return to Malaysia on December 5 (or earlier).
“I will return my passport to the court latest by December 6 (or earlier),” he said in his affidavit of support.
Najib is also seeking for the temporary release date of his passport to be amended from October 20 to October 25.
“I still need my passport to be released earlier for me to renew it with the Immigration Department and to apply for temporary release of restrictions on me by the Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia, police and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.”
In today’s proceedings, the application to amend the dates was submitted by his lead defence counsel, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah.
Meanwhile, deputy public prosecutor Mohd Ashrof Adrin Kamarul informed the court that he would have to seek orders from the attorney-general pertaining to the amendment.
Judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan then postponed the proceeding to October 26 at 8am to hear the application.
It is reported that Najib filed for the temporary return of his passport at the Court of Appeal last week.
On Monday, the Court of Appeal allowed the former Umno president to access his passport temporarily to facilitate his trip to Singapore for the birth of his grandchild.
The prosecution did not object to his application, which was approved by the three-judge bench led by Datuk Seri Kamaludin Md Said with Datuk P. Ravinthran and Datuk Abu Bakar Jais.
The court previously held his passport while hearing his bid to quash his conviction and sentencing in the RM42 million SRC International Sdn Bhd corruption case.
The latest development means Najib will not be accompanying his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, who received similar approval last week, to welcome the birth of their grandchild in the neighbouring country.
Rosmah’s application was allowed by the Kuala Lumpur High Court last Friday.
She applied on the basis that she wanted to provide moral and mental support to daughter Nooryana Najwa.
Rosmah added that Nooryana has a history of complications during delivery, and that she wanted to be there to provide assistance and emotional support.
Nooryana married her husband Daniyar Kessikbayev in 2015 and is currently living in the island republic.
Kessikbayev is the nephew of former Kazakhstan president Nursultan Nazarbayev, who ruled the country for almost 30 years before stepping down in March 2019.
Rosmah’s passport was impounded when she was charged with soliciting RM187.5 million, as well as two counts of receiving RM6.5 million in bribes. – The Vibes, October 22, 2021
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