Former Tabung Haji COO’s charges put off after hospital admission

FORMER Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) chief operating officer Datuk Adi Azuan Abdul Ghani was not in court today to face three charges under the Penal Code after he was admitted to hospital over chest pain.

His lawyer, Wan Azwan Aiman Wan Fakhruddin, told Sessions Court judge Awang Kerisnada Awang Mahmud that Adi Azuan had been hospitalised on Aug 31 after experiencing heart problems.

Adi Azuan’s wife, who was in court, said he began experiencing chest pain over the weekend and was admitted on Monday.

She said he had undergone several tests, including an electrocardiogram (ECG) and angiogram.

Deputy public prosecutor Muaz Ahmad Khairuddin, for the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), left it to the court to decide whether the charges could be read in Adi Azuan’s absence.

After hearing from the defence and his wife, Awang Kerisnada fixed Sept 24 at 9am for the case to be mentioned.

Speaking to reporters later, Wan Azwan Aiman said Adi Azuan was expected to face three charges under Section 165 of the Penal Code, which concerns a public servant obtaining a valuable item without consideration from a person connected to matters handled by the officer.

The proceedings come amid an ongoing MACC probe into issues involving TH.

TH had previously faced financial difficulties following concerns over a mismatch between its assets and liabilities, prompting the implementation of a recovery plan.

A Royal Commission of Inquiry was subsequently formed to investigate issues surrounding the fund, including its hotel lease investments in Makkah and Madinah.

On Aug 14, MACC detained seven people to assist in the investigation, including a former minister, a former chief executive of a shipping company, a construction company director, a former company director and four former TH senior management members. – September 3, 2026