KUALA LUMPUR, May 7 — Lembaga Urusan Tabung Haji chairman Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim refused today to confirm or deny a report that it plans to purchase plots of land from debt-laden state investment arm 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).

This comes hours after he issued a denial on the matter on micro-blogging site Twitter.

When contacted by Malay Mail Online, Abdul Azeez refused to comment on rumours of the planned sale, saying an official statement will be issued “very soon”.

On his Twitter account late last night, the Baling MP said the allegations made in a blog about the alleged deal was untrue.

“Not true. Tabung Haji will issue a statement on this matter soon,” he said, in response to a query by another Twitter user.

Quoting sources with direct knowledge on the matter, Reuters reported today that 1MDB is set to sell two plots of land from the Tun Razak Exchange project to the pilgrimage fund for about RM700 million.

The sale would be the first since 1MDB announced in February that it would dispose of assets to help cut its debt — a US$11.6 billion (RM41.658 billion) burden that has weighed on the ringgit and the country’s sovereign credit rating.

1MDB, whose advisory board is chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, has been dogged by years of controversy over its management of funds and its huge debt.