Former Tabung Haji Chairman Abdul Azeez Charged Over RM193.5 Million Investment Proposal

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 9 – Former Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) chairman Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim was charged at the Sessions Court on Wednesday with using his former position to obtain gratification and influencing board members to approve a proposed RM193.5 million investment 12 years ago. Abdul Azeez, 59, who is also a former Member of Parliament for Baling, pleaded not guilty after the charge was read out before Judge Azura Alwi. Rebuffing the accusation, he declared in court, “Understood the charge. The allegation is completely untrue and a trial is requested.”

According to the charge sheet, Abdul Azeez allegedly used his position as TH chairman to secure gratification in the form of the chairmanship of Putrajaya Perdana Berhad, carrying an annual remuneration of RM690,000 alongside the use of a BMW 7 Series vehicle and a permanent driver. He is accused of directing then TH chief executive officer Tan Sri Ismee Ismail to propose his name to the board, as well as influencing board members during TH Board Meeting No. 4/2014 on August 25, 2014, to approve an investment of up to RM193.5 million in Putrajaya Perdana Berhad—a firm in which he held an interest. The charge, framed under Section 23(1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine of five times the value of the gratification or RM10,000, whichever is higher.

During bail arguments, Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Datuk Ahmad Akram Gharib noted that offences under Section 23 are non-bailable, leaving the matter to judicial discretion while proposing RM1 million bail if granted. DPP Law Chin How requested the surrender of Abdul Azeez’s passport, citing potential flight risk given the non-bailable nature of the charge and the substantial sums involved, emphasizing that “the issue of surrendering a passport to the court is neither new nor unusual. The accused can apply to the court to have his passport returned if he intends to travel abroad.”

In response, lead defence counsel Datuk Amer Hamzah Arshad urged the court to impose a reasonable bail, arguing that bail serves solely to ensure attendance and requesting that his client retain his international passport due to consulting obligations in China. Amer Hamzah highlighted that Abdul Azeez had cooperated with the MACC since investigations began in 2018, noting that “after the recent remand period, he knew charges would be brought against him and could have fled if he had intended to do so. Instead, he contacted his lawyers and said he was ready to face any charges because he knew he was not guilty.”

Judge Azura granted bail at RM450,000 with two local sureties and ordered Abdul Azeez to report to the Kuala Lumpur MACC office every three months pending case resolution, fixing November 11 for document submission. The prosecution follows recommendations from the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report on TH uploaded in July, which examined management operations between 2014 and 2020 and called for forensic audits into past investment decisions.

–NMT