Lawyer denies govt forfeited funds in Abdul Azeez family’s Tabung Haji accounts

A lawyer for former Tabung Haji chairman Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim has denied allegations that the government forfeited RM18 million from Tabung Haji accounts belonging to his family.

The lawyer, Datuk Amer Hamzah Arshad, clarified that Azeez is not charged with misappropriating RM193.5 million but with leveraging his position to benefit personally, such as obtaining a chairmanship.

The family's accounts were investigated and found not to contain misappropriated funds, while Azeez maintains his plea of not guilty.

The legal proceedings are part of ongoing scrutiny following a Royal Commission of Inquiry that highlighted investment concerns in the pilgrimage fund.

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 12 — A lawyer for former Tabung Haji (TH) chairman Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim has reportedly denied claims that the government forfeited RM18 million held in TH accounts belonging to his family members.

According to New Straits Times , Datuk Amer Hamzah Arshad also rejected claims that savings belonging to Azeez’s wife and children were linked to TH funds, saying such allegations — which were posted on social media — were not related to the criminal charge faced by his client.

He reportedly said in a press statement that Azeez was not charged with taking, misappropriating or misusing the RM193.5 million mentioned in the case for himself or his family.

Instead, Amer reportedly said the charge read out at the Sessions Court on September 8 alleged that Azeez used his position as TH chairman to obtain the chairmanship of Putrajaya Perdana Bhd, which brought benefits including annual remuneration, a vehicle and a permanent driver.

“The RM193.5 million mentioned in the charge is the value of TH’s investment in Putrajaya Perdana Bhd and not money alleged to have been given to, taken by or deposited into the personal accounts of our client or his family members,” Amer was quoted as saying.

He added that the family’s TH accounts had previously been investigated by the authorities, but the savings had never been forfeited by the government or found to be misappropriated TH funds or proceeds of illegal activities.

Amer also reportedly said the Royal Commission of Inquiry into TH had made no finding that Azeez had taken or misappropriated TH funds for himself or his family, adding that Azeez has pleaded not guilty to the charge.

He said Azeez and his family reserved the right to take legal action against anyone who published or spread false, misleading or defamatory statements over the matter.

The charge against Azeez relates to an alleged offence at a TH board meeting on August 25, 2014, and was framed under Section 23(1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, which carries a maximum jail term of 20 years and a fine upon conviction.

His prosecution is among several cases involving former TH officials following the release in July of the Royal Commission of Inquiry report into the pilgrimage fund’s management, which flagged a number of problematic investments, including the Putrajaya Perdana deal.

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朝圣基金局前主席拿督斯里阿都阿兹阿都拉欣的律师否认有关政府从朝圣基金局家族账户中没收 1800 万令吉的指控。

律师拿督阿梅尔·哈姆扎·阿尔沙德澄清说，阿齐兹并非被指控挪用1.935亿令吉，而是被指控利用其职位谋取私利，例如获得主席职位。

经调查，该家庭的账户中并未发现挪用资金，而阿齐兹则坚持否认有罪。

此次法律诉讼是皇家调查委员会持续审查的一部分，该委员会的调查凸显了朝圣基金的投资问题。

吉隆坡，9月12日——据报道，朝圣基金局（TH）前主席拿督斯里阿都阿齐兹阿都拉欣的律师否认了政府没收其家人在朝圣基金局账户中持有的1800万令吉的说法。

据《新海峡时报》报道，拿督阿米尔·哈姆扎·阿尔沙德也驳斥了有关阿齐兹的妻子和孩子的积蓄与TH基金有关的说法，称这些在社交媒体上发布的指控与他的委托人面临的刑事指控无关。

据报道，他在一份新闻声明中表示，阿齐兹并未被指控挪用、侵占或滥用案件中提到的 1.935 亿令吉为自己或家人谋利。

据报道，Amer表示，9月8日地方法庭宣读的指控称，Azeez利用其作为TH主席的职位，获得了Putrajaya Perdana Bhd的主席职位，该职位给他带来了包括年薪、车辆和常驻司机在内的好处。

“指控中提到的 1.935 亿令吉是 TH 在 Putrajaya Perdana Bhd 的投资额，而不是据称给予、被取走或存入我方客户或其家人个人账户的资金，”Amer 表示。

他还补充说，该家庭的泰国国民保险账户之前曾受到当局调查，但政府从未没收过这些存款，也没有发现这些存款是挪用的泰国国民保险资金或非法活动的收益。

据报道，阿梅尔还表示，对TH的皇家调查委员会没有发现阿齐兹挪用或侵吞TH资金为自己或家人谋利，并补充说，阿齐兹已对该指控表示不认罪。

他说，阿齐兹和他的家人保留对任何就此事发表或传播虚假、误导性或诽谤性言论的人采取法律行动的权利。

对阿齐兹的指控与 2014 年 8 月 25 日在 TH 董事会会议上涉嫌的违法行为有关，该指控依据 2009 年马来西亚反贪污委员会法令第 23(1) 条提出，该条文规定，一旦罪名成立，最高可判处 20 年监禁和罚款。

他的起诉是继7月份皇家调查委员会发布关于朝圣基金管理的报告后，涉及前泰国朝圣基金官员的多起案件之一。该报告指出了一些问题投资，包括布城首相交易。

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