FORMER Tabung Haji (TH) chairman Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim and his brother Abdul Latif are expected to be charged with 17 counts of money laundering and bribery at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court tomorrow.

A source from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said Azeez will face 10 counts of laundering over RM140 million and a further five counts for receiving bribes to approve a contract worth RM5.2 million.

Latif will be slapped with two counts of aiding and abetting his brother in receiving the bribes.

“All the money were transferred to at least five private and company bank accounts. The money was an inducement for a project under TH and other companies related to the previous government,” the source told The Malaysian Insight.

Both men are to appear in court at 9am tomorrow and they will be charged under the MACC Act and the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act (AMLATFPUAA).  

Azeez was initially arrested by the MACC on September 15 and remanded for 10 days to assist in investigations involving TH project tenders. He was released on bail of RM500,000.

Azeez became TH chairman in 2013 after being elected as Baling MP under the Barisan Nasional government. He is still the Baling member of Parliament.

He was still chairman when TH bought a plot of land for RM189 million from debt-ridden 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) in 2015 at the Tun Razak Exchange (TRX).

The deal was controversial as TH had bought the land at below-market price and the purchase was speculated to be a bailout for 1MDB.

He resigned as TH chairman on May 14 last year, after Pakatan Harapan won the general election and took over the federal government.

The same month, MACC launched investigations into Azeez, raiding three of his properties and seizing RM500,000 in cash, watches and nearly RM1.2 million in other currencies.

Azeez has said the money belonged to Baling Umno and that he had withdrawn the sum for zakat payments ahead of Hari Raya Aidilfitri. – January 15, 2019.