Tabung Haji ex-chairman applies to strike out corruption, money-laundering charges

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 23): Lembaga Tabung Haji ex-chairman Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim (pictured)  has applied to strike out his corruption and money laundering charges, claiming the charges are defective and groundless.

Abdul Azeez's lawyers Amer Hamzah Arshad and Joshua Tay confirmed that the Baling Member of Parliament had last week filed the strike-out application at the High Court.

“The grounds for the striking-out application is that the prosecution is mala fide, [and] that the charges are defective and groundless,” Amer and Tay said when contacted by theedgemarkets.com.

“The case is now fixed for hearing on Jan 25 [next year] before [High Court Judge] Justice Datuk Muhammad Jamil Hussin,” they said.

According to news reports, Abdul Azeez is facing three counts of bribery involving RM5.2 million linked to road projects in Perak and Kedah, and nine counts of money laundering involving nearly RM140 million, while his brother Datuk Abdul Latif Abdul Rahim is charged with abetting him.

It was reported that Abdul Azeez’s corruption charges were framed under the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009 while the money laundering charges were made under the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001.

Abdul Azeez is alleged to have committed bribery between Dec 8, 2010 and April 10, 2018.

He is also alleged to have committed money laundering between March 2010 and August 2018.

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