The High Court in Kuala Lumpur today granted senior lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah's request to have his international passport released for the application of a permit to work in Sabah.

Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah granted the temporary release of his passport, effective today until Jan 17, 2019.

Deputy public prosecutor Afzainizam Abdul Aziz had no objection to the request made via Shafee's counsel Wan Aizuddin Wan Mohammed.

Met by members of the media later, Aizuddin said Shafee needed his passport to handle his client's criminal case in the High Court in Tawau.

"As a lawyer from the peninsula, Shafee has to produce his international passport to apply for ad hoc permission and a work permit from the Sabah Immigration Department to practise the legal profession in Sabah.

"The court had ordered for his passport to be released from today until Jan 17, 2019, as proposed," Aizuddin said.

Alleged to have received RM9.5 million

On Sept 13, Shafee claimed trial to four charges under Section 4(1)(a) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001.

The charges revolve around Shafee allegedly receiving two separate payments, totalling RM9.5 million, from former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak between 2013 and 2014.

He is alleged to have received two cheques from Najib, one amounting to RM4.3 million on Sept 13, 2013; and another for RM5.2 million on Feb 17, 2014.

Also on that day, Shafee was ordered to surrender the two passports he held, one of which he later said in a press conference was a diplomatic passport given to him by the Najib administration as an ambassador-at-large.

Shafee has denied that the RM9.5 million payment was for prosecuting Anwar, stating that they were legal fees for several cases in which he represented Umno.

He said the payment was merely part of more than RM20 million in fees owed to him for legal services rendered toward Umno and BN.

He also stressed that he did not know the source of Najib's funds.