KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 19): The High Court has fixed March 13 to hear Toh Puan Na’imah Abdul Khalid's application to set aside the Sessions Court requirement for her to surrender her passport to the court.
Na’imah is former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin's wife.
Judge Datuk Ahmad Bache fixed the date as he called both Na’imah’s lawyers and the prosecution to give practice directions.
Na’imah’s lawyers, led by M Puravalen, who appeared with Nizamuddin Abdul Hamid, Rajesh Nagarajan, and Sachpreetraj Sohanpal Singh, informed the court that they submitted the application last Friday.
It is understood that Na’imah wants to set aside the requirement for her to surrender her passport and wants it to be in her possession, as she claims that she is not a flight risk.
Following this, Ahmad directed the prosecution led by Ahmad Feisal Mohd Azmi and Mohd Fadhly Mohd Zamry, and the defence to give their written submissions by March 4, and their reply by March 11.
“The court fixed March 13 for the hearing of the application,” Ahmad said, adding that he may deliver his decision on the same day.
On Jan 23, Na’imah was charged in the Sessions Court here and claimed trial to a charge of not abiding by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) notice to declare 12 of her purported assets.
As a result, Sessions Court judge Azura Alwi fixed bail at RM250,000, and ordered Na’imah to surrender her passport, which now she wants to set aside.
Daim himself is facing a charge of not abiding by the MACC notice to declare 71 assets.
They are both charged under Section 36(1) of the MACC Act, where if convicted they could each face a punishment of a maximum five-year imprisonment and a fine not exceeding RM100,000.
Both of them have filed an application to set aside the respective charges in a judicial review application.