PUTRAJAYA: Former Tabung Haji chairman Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim failed in his appeal at the Court of Appeal to strike out his three corruption and six money laundering charges.
A three-man panel comprising Justice Datuk Seri Kamaludin Md Said, Justice Datuk Abu Bakar Jais and Justice Datuk Che Mohd Ruzima Ghazali dismissed Abdul Azeez's appeal to strike out the nine charges after ruling that the charges were not defective.
However, the panel partly allowed Abdul Azeez's appeal to strike out four of the money-laundering charges.
Justice Abu Bakar, who delivered the court's unanimous decision, ordered Abdul Azeez's trial on the nine charges to resume in the Sessions Court.
Abdul Azeez was charged at the Sessions Court with three counts of accepting bribes amounting to RM5.2 million in connection with road projects in Perak and Kedah and 10 counts of money laundering involving a total of RM13.9 million which he allegedly received from Menuju Asas Sdn Bhd.
The offences were allegedly committed at CIMB Bank, Jalan Tun Perak in Kuala Lumpur on Dec 8,2010 and at Affin Bank, Puchong City Centre, Selangor, on June 13, 2017, and April 10, 2018.
On the money laundering charges, Abdul Azeez was charged with committing the offences in the Klang Valley area between March 8, 2010, and Aug 30, 2018.
Abdul Azeez was appealing against a High Court decision, made on March 12 last year, which dismissed his application to strike out the three corruption charges and 10 money-laundering charges.
In the court's decision, Justice Abu Bakar acquitted and discharged Abdul Azeez on the third, seventh, eighth and ninth charges, which were for money laundering, after striking out those charges as they did not state the exact location where the offences were allegedly committed, but merely stating in the Klang Valley.
He also said there was no political prosecution against the 55-year-old Baling Member of Parliament.
Justice Abu Bakar also disagreed with Abdul Azeez's argument that the charges filed against him were mala fide (done in bad faith).
The judges proceeded to deliver their decision today after deputy public prosecutor Aslinda Ahad informed the court that there was no instruction to respond to the representations sent by Abdul Azeez.
Lawyer Amer Hamzah Arshad, representing Abdul Azeez told the court that his client's trial had been fixed for mention before the Sessions Court this Wednesday.
-- BERNAMA
Bernama
Mon Sep 05 2022
Abdul Azeez was appealing against a High Court decision, made on March 12 last year, which dismissed his application to strike out the three corruption charges and 10 money-laundering charges. - Astro AWANI/Shahir Omar
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