Azeez today said the firm, acting on behalf of the special purpose vehicle appointed to build Penang’s RM6.3 billion undersea tunnel and three roads, had agreed that he was a victim of name-dropping.
“A notice of demand which was served on me has been retracted and they have apologised. The firm said it would set the record straight to clear my name,” he said.
“At the same time I will confer with my lawyers about follow-up action in the form of a lawsuit against those who attempted to smear me.
“The action might include opposition politicians who slandered the sacred Tabung Haji, Umno and my family members,” the Tabung Haji chairman and Umno supreme council member told a press conference at TH Hotel in Bayan Lepas today.
He said his priority was to take action to protect Tabung Haji and its depositors first and his family members last.
Azeez, who had lodged a police report on the allegation against him yesterday, was accompanied by lawyer Jaharberdeen Mohamed Yunoos.
Denying that he was involved, he had said in the report that he did not rule out the possibility that several irresponsible quarters or individuals had used his name to benefit from the project.
Yesterday, law firm Syahrul & Hamidi acting for Consortium Zenith sent Azeez a letter stating that it “retracts and withdraws” all of its claims stated in its earlier letter dated Feb 23.
The firm also offered its assistance to help clear the negative perception against Azeez following media coverage on the matter.
On Feb 27, Malaysiakini reported that Azeez and a businessman were involved in “consultancy work in regulatory compliance and risk management” in connection with the tunnel project.
According to the report, Azeez was allegedly given RM3 million to help in the project, while RM19 million was paid to the businessman.
The businessman was arrested by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) the same day and remanded on Feb 28.
MACC also froze four bank accounts with a total of RM3.6 million and seized four vehicles worth about RM1.3 million.
Separately, a 64-year-old Datuk believed to be Azeez’s name-dropper was detained by MACC yesterday, with reports indicating that he had allegedly asked for RM4 million in bribes, but this was later renegotiated to RM3 million.
Baling MP lodges police report over undersea tunnel allegation