Court releases Hydroshoppe director’s passport for overseas conferences

The prosecution does not object to Abdul Hamid Shaikh Abdul Razak Shaikh's request.

Hydroshoppe Sdn Bhd director Abdul Hamid Shaikh Abdul Razak Shaikh is facing a charge of offering an annual RM500,000 bribe over 15 years to former communications and multimedia minister Annuar Musa. (Bernama pic)

KUALA LUMPUR:

 The sessions court here has allowed Hydroshoppe Sdn Bhd director Abdul Hamid Shaikh Abdul Razak Shaikh’s application for the temporary release of his passport to attend defence and aerospace conferences and exhibitions in Qatar, Singapore and Australia.

Judge Suzana Hussin granted the application after defence counsel Chetan Jethwani informed the court that both the defence and the prosecution had agreed to the request, Bernama reported.

“Therefore, the court allows the applicant’s international passport to be temporarily returned today and to be surrendered to the court on or before Feb 16, 2026,” she was quoted as saying.

“Subsequently, the passport will be temporarily released to the applicant on April 15, 2026, and returned to the court on or before June 5, 2026. The applicant is required to attend the mention of the case on Jan 21, 2026.”

Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission deputy public prosecutor Elya Amira Habeeb Rahman Muhammad and MACC prosecuting officer Muhamad Taufik Awaludin appeared for the prosecution.

Hamid was charged on April 5, 2023, with offering an annual RM500,000 bribe over 15 years to former communications and multimedia minister Annuar Musa in connection with the takeover of the KL Tower concession.

He had been ordered to surrender his passport to the court pending the disposal of his case.

Hydroshoppe was also charged as a commercial organisation under Section 17A(1)(a) of the same Act in relation to the alleged bribe, an offence punishable by a fine of not less than 10 times the value of the bribe or RM1 million, or imprisonment of up to 20 years, or both. - FMT