By Choy Nyen Yiau | The Edge Malaysia
Former Lembaga Tabung Haji chairman Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim did not choose to appear in court wearing a purple lock-up shirt and handcuffs on Wednesday, his lawyer Datuk Amer Hamzah Arshad said.
In a statement, the lawyer said Abdul Azeez remained in Royal Malaysian Police custody throughout the day and was ordered to change into the lock-up attire shortly before he was brought before the Sessions Court for a police remand application.
The handcuffs were also placed on Abdul Azeez by the police and not the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), he added.
Following the remand proceedings, Abdul Azeez was taken directly to another Sessions Court for the MACC charge against him to be read. He remained in police custody and was not given an opportunity to change out of the lock-up attire, Amer said.
“Accordingly, our client’s appearance in the purple lock-up attire and handcuffs during the subsequent MACC proceedings was not a matter of his personal choice,” he said.
Amer said he was “flabbergasted” by a statement attributed to the MACC suggesting that Abdul Azeez had chosen or insisted on wearing the lock-up attire and handcuffs.
“Any suggestion that our client voluntarily chose to present himself in that manner is incorrect and gives a misleading impression of the circumstances in which he was brought before the court,” the lawyer said.
Amer said Abdul Azeez reserves all his rights, including taking legal action against anyone who creates, publishes or disseminates what he described as a false or misleading account of the circumstances surrounding his appearance in court.
Abdul Azeez, who served as the Tabung Haji chairman from 2016 to 2018, was earlier charged with using his position to secure a chairmanship position in Putrajaya Perdana Bhd and persuading the Tabung Haji board to approve a RM193.5 million investment proposal in the company 12 years ago.
He pleaded not guilty to the charge and was granted bail of RM450,000 with two local sureties. He was also ordered to report to the Kuala Lumpur MACC office every three months until the case is resolved.
Separately, Abdul Azeez was remanded for two days to assist investigations into alleged fraudulent hibah, or gifts.
Edited by Presenna Nambiar
