Former Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali is free to leave the country after the government withdrew the restriction placed on him from leaving.
Following the lifting of the travel ban, Apandi withdrew the application he filed for a judicial review against the Immigration Department director, Home Minister and the government.
Today (May 30) had been fixed for a hearing to obtain leave for the judicial review in challenging the travel ban before High Court judge Mariana Yahya.
Lawyer M Visvanathan, who represented Apandi, told reporters that the Immigration Department had informed them of the decision to lift the ban in a letter dated May 8.
“There is nothing to bar him from travelling now.
“On behalf of Tan Sri, we thank the Pakatan Harapan government for the decision and for ensuring that individuals’ right to travel is guaranteed.
“After receiving the letter, he went to the Immigration Department a day later to apply for a passport so he could travel to the UK to attend his stepson’s long call to the English Bar,” the lawyer was quoted saying at the High Court this morning.
“He will fly to the United Kingdom in July,” Visvanathan said, adding that Apandi is looking forward to attending the ceremony as he was unable to attend his stepson’s graduation last year.
In March, Apandi filed the application for a certiorari order to quash the travel ban that barred him from renewing his passport.
He also sought a declaration that all the respondents had no jurisdiction to bar him from leaving the country and sought a court order to restrain the respondents from blacklisting him from leaving and entering the country.
He also sought a declaration that the travel ban against him violated Article 5(1), Article 8 and Article 9 of the Federal Constitution, and was therefore unconstitutional, null and void.
In his supporting affidavit, Apandi said he went to the Immigration Department in Jalan Dutamas on Feb 22 to renew his passport for his travel to the United Kingdom this July to visit his son who was studying there.
He claimed that while at the department, he was informed verbally by an officer that he could not apply or renew his passport.
He claimed that he was not given any explanation on the matter.