THE Court of Appeal today upheld the nine money laundering and corruption charges against Baling MP Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim.

Azeez was charged with three corruption counts involving RM5.2 million and 10 money laundering offences involving RM13.9 million.

The corruption charges are in connection with road projects in Perak and Kedah while the money laundering charges involve money he allegedly received from a company called Menuju Asas Sdn Bhd.

Azeez had sought the appellate court’s intervention to have the charges against him dropped after pleading he had been accused in bad faith.

The court, however, released him from four other charges.

Earlier, the three-man Court of Appeal bench, led by Kamaludin Md Said, rejected the 55-year-old Azeez’s request to explain why he had been absent from court last week.

The court was told that deputy public prosecutor Nik Haslinie Hashim had tested positive for Covid-19 while fellow deputy public prosecutor Aslinda Ahad was in Malacca receiving an award from the governor.

That was the fourth postponement in the case.

On March 12, the High Court dismissed Azeez’s application to quash three corruption charges he is facing pertaining to road projects in Perak and Kedah, as well as 10 charges for money laundering.

The High Court also allowed Azeez to adjourn the hearing of his case in the Sessions Court pending the outcome of the appeal in the Court of Appeal.

The hearing of Azeez’s case began on August 19, 2020 in the Sessions Court, where seven prosecution witnesses had been called to testify. – September 5, 2022.