KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 ― The High Court today have dismissed the application by Baling MP Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim to strike out the corruption and money laundering charges laid against him, involving highway construction projects and road upgrades in Perak and Kedah.

In reading out his judgment today, Judge Muhammad Jamil Hussin said that the prosecution had conducted their duties in accordance with the law and have not acted in bad faith.

"The applicant failed to show that the prosecution had acted in mala fide (bad faith). I also found that there is no abuse of the court process and therefore the court would not exercise its inherent power to quash the charges,’’ he said.

Previously, the Umno MP's lawyers had filed for the application to dismiss the charges laid against their client on the grounds that the prosecution had acted in bad faith and the charges were defective and groundless.

The trial of the corruption case involving Abdul Azeez and his brother Datuk Abdul Latif had been held before Session’s Court Judge Azura Alwi.

Abdul Azeez, 53, is charged with three counts of accepting bribes totalling RM5.2 million in connection with road projects in Perak and Kedah, and 10 counts of money laundering, involving nearly RM140 million, while his 62-year-old brother is accused of abetting him.

Abdul Azeez is accused of committing the offence at CIMB Bank, Jalan Tun Perak in Kuala Lumpur on December 8, 2010, and at Affin Bank, Pusat Bandar Puchong in Selangor on June 13, 2017, and April 10, 2018, while the money laundering offences were allegedly committed in the Klang Valley area between March 8, 2010, and August 30, 2018.

Abdul Latif is accused of abetting his brother in obtaining a RM4 million bribe from Mohammad Redzuan Mohanan Abdullah, director of Syarikat Menuju Asas Sdn Bhd as gratification to help the company to secure road projects through limited tender from the Works Ministry.

The project involved the Pantai Baru Coastal Expressway Project, upgrading works of Federal Road FT005 (Teluk Intan to Kampung Lekir, Perak) valued at RM644,480,000.

However, last February 8, Abdul Latif was granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal to his charges of abetting his brother and turned prosecution witness in the trial.

The trial is expected to continue in front of Judge Azura On March 15, according to the court schedule posted online.