Briton gets £400,000 for passport seizure

Updated 15.32 Fri Feb 23 2007

Keywords: passport, Malaysia

A British man has been awarded nearly £400,000 for being prevented from leaving Malaysia for 16 years.

Ronald Beadle, 69, originally from Derbyshire, had his travel documents confiscated by officials from the country's Inland Revenue department in 1981, after they claimed he had failed to settle income tax payments whilst working there.

"I think he was relieved to have won the case. This is a chapter of his life he has closed" - Lawyer, Jeffrey Wong

He sued the Malaysian government for negligence in 2000 after being cleared of the allegations by the High Court two years earlier.

The government was ordered by the Kuala Lumpur High Court to pay the former army engineer, three million ringgit (£439,000) for seizing his passport.

Beadle who claimed his experience was similar to "false imprisonment" was happy with the judgement but disappointed by the amount of compensation, said his representative in the case, counsel Jeffrey Wong.

The lawyer said: "He felt that it was a bit low. He did mention he was to consider whether he wants to appeal on the quantum."

He added: "I think he was relieved to have won the case. This is a chapter of his life he has closed. I think at the end of the day no amount of money will be able to compensate what he has gone through."

Mr Beadle is reported to have said: "No amount of money could have compensated the loss of 5,968 days when my passport was seized."