KUALA LUMPUR: The Sessions Court here has allowed Toh Puan Na'imah Abdul Khalid temporary access to her passport for travel to China on work-related matters later this month. On Friday (aug 23), Sessions judge Azura Alwi made an order to release the passport from Aug 28 to Sept 9. Earlier, Na'imah's lawyer Nizamuddin Hamid said the application was made for work purposes.
DPP Mohamad Fadly Mohd Zamry did not object but requested for the travel document to be returned to the court within 48 hours of Na'imah's return to Malaysia, which the judge so ordered. Na'imah, the wife of former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin, had previously been allowed to travel abroad to attend an art exhibition in Venice and for a meeting in London in July. On Jan 23, Na'imah was charged with intentionally giving a written statement under oath that did not comply with the terms of notice under Section 36(1) (b) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, whereby she allegedly did not declare assets as stated in Appendix A.
The assets listed are two companies, Ilham Tower Sdn Bhd and Ilham Baru Sdn Bhd; two luxury cars; and eight properties, Menara Ilham in Jalan Binjai, a house in Persiaran Bukit Tunku, four lots of land in Bukit Tunku, one lot in Penang and a house in Taman Tun Dr Ismail. The 67-year-old was charged under Section 36(2) of the MACC Act and faces imprisonment of up to five years and a fine not exceeding RM100,000 if convicted. Na'imah was allowed bail of RM250,000 .