Former Tabung Haji chairman Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim claimed trial in the sessions court here today to a charge of abusing his position to obtain gratification in the form of a chairmanship and perks at another company.
Azeez, 60, pleaded not guilty after the charge was read to him before judge Azura Alwi.
He is accused of abusing his position as Tabung Haji chairman by instructing its then chief executive officer, Ismee Ismail, to propose him as the fund’s representative on the board of Putrajaya Perdana.
The position allegedly came with an annual remuneration of RM690,000 and the use of a BMW 7 Series car.
Azeez is also accused of influencing Tabung Haji’s board of directors to approve an investment of up to RM193.5 million in Putrajaya Perdana, in which he allegedly had an interest.
The offence allegedly took place at Tabung Haji’s office on Aug 25, 2014.
Charge details and possible penalty
The charge was framed under Section 23(1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, and is punishable under Section 24(1) of the same Act.
If found guilty, Azeez could be jailed for up to 20 years and fined not less than five times the amount or value of the gratification that was the subject matter of the offence, or RM10,000, whichever is higher.
The court granted Azeez bail of RM450,000 with two sureties and ordered him to report to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission office here once every three months.
It also fixed Nov 11 for case management.
Lawyer Amer Hamzah Arshad represented Azeez while deputy public prosecutors Ahmad Akram Gharib and Law Chin How appeared for the prosecution.
Bail and related remand proceedings
During mitigation, the prosecution did not object to bail but sought a sum of RM1 million with two sureties.
Amer said the amount was excessive, and that his client knew the charge was coming when he was arrested last month.
He could have absconded if he intended to do so. Instead, he called us to defend him, Amer said.
Prior to today’s proceedings, Azeez was brought before a magistrate for a remand application in connection with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s investigation into Tabung Haji.
Former Tabung Haji chairman Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim and two former senior officials have been remanded for two days from today to assist investigations into an alleged fraud case involving Tabung Haji hibah payments.
Lawyer Amer Hamzah Arshad said the remand orders for Azeez, a former chief executive officer and a former group chief financial officer of Tabung Haji were issued by senior assistant registrar Afiq Zuber, who was sitting as a magistrate, following a police application at the sessions court here.
The three individuals are being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code in connection with Tabung Haji hibah payments, Amer said after the remand proceedings.
Amer said the defence told the court that further remand was unnecessary as the investigation connected to the royal commission of inquiry report on Tabung Haji had been completed and the findings submitted to the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
He went to Bukit Aman yesterday after the police informed him, and he was aware that he had to appear in court today to face new charges brought by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.
Nevertheless, he fully cooperated and is not a flight risk. He provided investigating officers with all the information they required in detail, Amer said.
Following the remand proceedings, Azeez claimed trial at the Kuala Lumpur sessions court to a charge of abusing his position to obtain gratification in the form of a chairmanship and perks at another company.
