Govt to expedite remaining 25% of TH RCI recommendations

Religious affairs minister Zulkifli Hasan said he is open to restructuring Tabung Haji’s governance, including separating responsibility for financial management, funds and investments under the finance minister. (Bernama pic)KUALA LUMPUR: The government will expedite the implementation of the remaining 25% of the royal commission of inquiry (RCI) recommendations on Tabung Haji (TH), taking into account prudence, current realities and other relevant considerations.Religious affairs minister Zulkifli Hasan said the government remained open to reform and viewed the recommendations as an opportunity to further strengthen the institution, Bernama reported."There is still much more we need to do to ensure that this institution that we cherish continues to flourish," he said after officiating the Islamic Finance Muamalat Discourse here today.He said 75% of the 25 recommendations made by the RCI had already been implemented, putting TH on the right track in managing deposits and haj operations.This enabled the institution to receive the Diamond Award for the world's best haj management for 1447H/2026, he said.On the recommendation to restructure TH's governance, Zulkifli said he was open to considering the proposal, including separating responsibility for financial management, funds and investments under the finance minister.He said one of the RCI's recommendations was to limit the religious affairs minister's jurisdiction to haj management.The 252-page RCI report on the investigations into TH's management and operations from 2014 to 2020 was made publicly available yesterday.The RCI found, among others, that TH concealed the true state of its finances for years, reporting a RM3.4 billion profit for 2017 when it should have recorded a RM1.4 billion net loss under proper accounting standards – a shortfall of nearly RM4.8 billion.It also found that senior officers implicated in multiple misconduct cases had their penalties repeatedly watered down on appeal, with all five involved still employed at TH or its subsidiaries as of 2022.The RCI report said that TH employees received "excessively high" bonuses ranging from two to 13 months’ salary between 2010 and 2017, including a special bonus payout in 2014 that cost the institution RM74 million.