Maria Chin fails to challenge Immigration DG's travel ban

The High Court on Thursday dismissed the judicial review application by Bersih Electoral Reform Movement and Bersih 2.0 chairman, Maria Chin Abdullah to challenge the Immigration director-general's (DG) decision of barring her from travelling abroad.

Justice Datuk Nik Hasmat Nik Mohamad in her judgment said that Maria's application had become academic in nature, and that the decisions by the Immigration director-general and home minister in imposing the travel ban were not reviewable.

The judge also said that during the judicial review application being heard in court, the travel ban on Maria was lifted on May 17, 2016, two days after she was denied entry.

"This renders the application academic," she said.

Nik Hasmat said it was clear that under Section 59A of the Immigration Act, there shall not be any judicial review of the decision made by the Immigration director-general or the home minister except for procedural non-compliance.

In her application to quash the order on July 28 last year, Maria, an activist, said she was informed of the ban shortly before she was to board a flight to South Korea on May 15 last year at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport .

Senior federal counsel Shamsul Bolhassan represented the Immigration director-general and home minister, while lawyer Datuk Gurdial Singh Nijar acted for Maria. -- Bernama