The family’s lawyer Mohd Rifahmi Abdul Musikin told the court that lead counsel M Athimulan could not be present today to argue the stay application as he had to be in Putrajaya.
Deputy public prosecutor Nik Haslinie Hashim, for the government, said the prosecution had no objection to the postponement to next month.
Rifahmi later told reporters that the government is seeking to forfeit RM16 million in bank accounts belonging to Azeez’s wife Khadijah Mohd Noor, sons (Mohamed Khairul Anwar, Mohamed Khairul Azman), daughters (Khaleeda Azwa, Khaleeda Azeera) and a company linked to the family, Azeera Management Consultants (M) Sdn Bhd.
The forfeiture was filed under Section 56 of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act.
The family wants to defer the forfeiture case, pending the disposal of Azeez’s corruption trial before the Sessions Court.
Previously, it was revealed in Azeez’s corruption trial that Azeera Management Consultants was one of four companies that were probed by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
The three other companies are Menuju Asas Sdn Bhd, Azman Azeez Properties (M) Sdn Bhd, and Azeera Properties (M) Sdn Bhd.
The Sessions Court heard that Khadijah and the four children are shareholders in some of the companies.
Azeez, the former Tabung Haji chairman, was slapped with three corruption charges involving RM5.2 million and nine money laundering charges amounting to RM139.3 million.
He was said to have received RM5.2 million in bribes from Mohammad Redzuan Mohanan Abdullah, the director of Syarikat Menuju Asas Sdn Bhd, in the Klang Valley between December 2010 and April last year.
The money allegedly paid to Azeez was said to be an inducement to allow Syarikat Menuju Asas to obtain RM842.3 million worth of road upgrade projects in Kedah and Perak through direct negotiations.
He was also accused of receiving RM139.3 million from four companies, Syarikat Menuju Asas, Mangkubumi Sdn Bhd, Pintas Utama Sdn Bhd and AVP Engineering Sdn Bhd.
Azeez’s brother Latiff was accused of abetting Azeez on two counts of obtaining a RM4 million bribe, which was part of the RM5.2 million from Redzuan.