Look into TH management under Madani govt too, says Anwar

Scrutiny of Tabung Haji’s (TH) management should not stop at 2020 but extend to when the Madani government came into power, says Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

“Don’t stop at 2020. Ask also what happened in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024, even when I was prime minister. Go ahead.

“If we haven’t stolen any money, there’s no need to be afraid. Go ahead and investigate,” he said in a podcast.

The Ismail Sabri Yaakob administration had established a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) to investigate TH’s management, operations and assets between 2014 and 2020.

The commission submitted its report in July 2022 before it was declassified on July 29 this year.

Former religious affairs minister Jamil Khir Baharom and former TH chairman Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim have since been charged in court with corruption. Both pleaded not guilty.

Jamil was charged with three counts of misappropriating over RM860.3 million in TH funds between 2015 and 2017, while Azeez is accused of abusing his position to secure the chairmanship of a company with a salary of RM690,000 nearly 12 years ago.

Anwar reiterated that the decision to publicise the RCI report was not made by him alone but collectively by the Cabinet.

He also maintained that prosecutions were up to the relevant authorities, not him.

“I do not want to be involved in any action that wrongs others because I understand the cost of committing an injustice.

“Those who are not guilty will not be convicted. When it goes to court, the decision is made based on the facts,” he said.