Former Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) chief operating officer Datuk Adi Azuan Abdul Ghani has been charged with three counts of allegedly receiving valuable benefits linked to renovation work carried out on his homes nine years ago.
Adi Azuan, 56, pleaded not guilty after the three charges were read to him at the Sessions Court here today.
He is accused of receiving renovation costs totalling RM302,499.27 for three properties in Section 13, Petaling Jaya; Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya; and USJ Heights, Subang Jaya.
The charges relate to an alleged benefit he received from a director of a construction company on March 7, 2017. Prosecutors said Adi Azuan, who was a public servant at the time, knew the company had dealings connected to his official duties.
The alleged offences were committed at the respective addresses of the three properties. He was charged under Section 165 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum prison sentence of two years, a fine, or both upon conviction.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Muaz Ahmad Khairuddin requested bail of RM70,000 with one surety, noting that Adi Azuan had claimed trial.
Defence lawyers Wan Azwan Aiman Wan Fakhruddin and Tania Scivetti, however, asked the court to reduce the bail to RM30,000.
They told the court that Adi Azuan had stopped serving as TH’s COO last year and has four children aged between 12 and 25, who are still in school or university.
The defence also submitted a medical report from Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (PPUM), stating that Adi Azuan should avoid activities that could cause physical or emotional stress due to the risk of triggering myocardial injury.
Tania also requested that he be allowed to report to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) once every three months if additional reporting conditions were imposed, citing his health condition.
Judge Awang Kerisnada Awang Mahmud subsequently granted bail at RM50,000 with two Malaysian sureties residing in Selangor or Kuala Lumpur.
The court also ordered Adi Azuan to report to the MACC office in Putrajaya as requested by the defence, surrender his international passport and refrain from contacting any prosecution witnesses.
The case has been fixed for mention and case management on November 25.
Adi Azuan had initially been scheduled to be charged on September 3 but failed to appear in court after his wife, Zureen Zainuddin, informed the court that he had been admitted to PPUM since August 31 after complaining of chest pain.
His lawyers subsequently submitted medical documents from a hospital cardiologist to confirm his condition and absence from the earlier proceedings.
Adi Azuan is also one of five senior TH officers named in a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report, following findings concerning disciplinary action taken against them over several serious misconduct cases.
According to the RCI report, the disciplinary issues involved four key matters, including the sale of shares in PT TH Indo Plantations, a RM22.12 million contribution to Yayasan Tabung Haji without ministerial approval, the declaration of the 2017 hibah profit distribution and alleged false claims.
