KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 25): Lembaga Tabung Haji's former chief operating officer Datuk Adi Azuan Abdul Ghani has claimed trial to another charge, this time for allegedly accepting RM8,882.77 in renovation costs for a house in 2017. On Thursday (Sept 24) in Shah Alam, Adi had claimed trial to three charges of allegedly accepting over RM300,000 in renovation costs for three properties.
Adi, who turns 55 this year, was brought to the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court on Friday and was accused of accepting valuable items without adequate consideration, namely the cost of renovating the house, during his tenure as a public servant at Tabung Haji.
According to the charge read to him before Sessions Court judge Suzana Hussin, Adi had allegedly accepted the renovation costs for the house in Bandar Sri Damansara on March 7, 2017, from AG Reka Sdn Bhd director Thamsulazri Ismail, with whom he knew had a connection through his official duties.
The charge was framed under Section 165 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum prison sentence of two years, a fine, or both, upon conviction.
Charge transferred to Shah Alam court, to be heard with his other three charges there
After the charge was read and Adi claimed trial, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) deputy public prosecutor Irna Julieza Maaras applied for the case to be transferred to the Shah Alam Sessions Court, where the other three charges are being heard.
Adi's lawyer, Wan Azwan Aiman Wan Fakhruddin, did not object to the application.
After hearing the submissions, Suzana ordered for the case to be transferred to the Shah Alam Sessions Court.
She ruled that the bail imposed in the earlier Shah Alam cases would apply to the accused until the disposal of the case.
The charges in Shah Alam
On Thursday at the Shah Alam Sessions Court, Adi was charged with three counts of accepting valuable items without consideration, which he knew was inadequate (excessive as a gift for a public servant), namely the cost of renovation of houses worth RM235,866.58 in Section 13, Shah Alam, RM50,698.74 in Kota Damansara, and RM15,933.95 in Subang Jaya.
He received these items from the same Thamsulazri also in March 2017.
The charges are framed under Section 165 of the Penal Code, which concerns a public servant obtaining any valuable thing, without consideration, from a person concerned in any proceeding or business transacted by such public servant.
If found guilty, Adi faces imprisonment of a maximum of two years, a fine, or both.
Adi had pleaded not guilty and claimed trial to all three charges read before Sessions Court judge Awang Kerisnada Awang Mahmud.
The court set bail at RM50,000 with two sureties and additional conditions of surrendering his passport and not harassing potential prosecution witnesses.
Another condition is for Adi to report to the MACC once every three months.