Former deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has failed in his bid to secure the return of his passport to perform umrah (minor pilgrimage).

This followed a ruling by the Kuala Lumpur High Court today, which found that umrah is not compulsory for Muslims.

High Court judge Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah thus decided to reject Zahid’s application to retrieve his passport, due to the seriousness of the multiple charges he is facing.