Former Immigration director-general Wahid Md Don stepped out of Kajang Prison after spending 23 days there, after the High Court in Kuala Lumpur granted him bail pending his appeal against conviction for corruption.

The Sessions Court had on Oct 30 declined his application for stay against the six years’ jail sentence and a fine of RM300,000 imposed by the court.

Justice Azman Husin allowed the application today and raised the RM50,000 bail imposed by the lower court to RM200,000 in two sureties.

As an additional condition, he ordered Wahid to surrender his passport to the court.

Azman also allowed the application for a land title to serve as collateral, with Wahid’s wife and his brother-in-law as bailors.

Wahid, who was in red prison clothes and his head shaved, appeared calm and composed when he told Justice Azman that although life had been difficult in prison, he was well-treated, including being able to perform his daily prayers.

Earlier, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission head of prosecution Abdul Razak Musa did not object to the bail application, but objected to the stay of the RM300,000 fine imposed by the Sessions Court.

However, Wahid’s counsel V Sithambaram argued that his client was not a “flight risk” and had been attending all the court proceedings even without notice being served on him.

Justice Azman told Abdul Razak that Wahid’s was a special case and the  court was using its discretion in allowing the bail.

On Oct 30, the Sessions Court sentenced Wahid to six years’ jail and fined him RM300,000 after he was found guilty of accepting a RM60,000 bribe to approve visas for Bangladeshi workers.

Wahid was charged with accepting the bribe from businessman Low Chang Hian as inducement to speed up the approval for 4,337 visa applications for Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia.

He committed the offence at his house in Jalan Lembah Ledang, off Jalan Duta on July 10, 2008.

- Bernama