Another Zahid ‘sideshow’ puts Anwar in a bind yet again

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From Ibrahim M Ahmad

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi appears to have put Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in yet another bind by his continued presence in the Cabinet as deputy prime minister.

On Thursday, it was reported that Zahid had applied to the Kuala Lumpur High Court for the “permanent return” of his passport “so that he can carry out his official duties”.

Criminal lawyers will tell you that the impounding by the court of an accused’s passport is a somewhat routine condition imposed on persons accused of criminal offences.

The reason for the condition is straightforward. It prevents an accused from leaving the country before the conclusion of his case.

This is particularly important when a person is considered a “flight risk”, that is, someone likely to try to escape from the country before his or her trial begins.

That is not to say that an accused whose passport has been impounded cannot leave the country at all.

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