Probe possible crimes revealed in Tabung Haji RCI, says MP

Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Karim said any evidence of wrongdoing should be referred to the AGC for a decision on whether those responsible should be prosecuted.PETALING JAYA: PKR's Hassan Karim has urged the police, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and Bank Negara Malaysia to investigate possible criminal offences arising from the findings of the royal commission of inquiry into Tabung Haji (TH).The Pasir Gudang MP said such offences might include financial deception, the falsification of accounting records, fraud, cheating, the unlawful distribution of "hibah" and criminal breach of trust.Hassan, a lawyer, said any evidence of wrongdoing should be referred to the Attorney-General's Chambers for a decision on whether those responsible should be prosecuted."There is no point publishing the RCI report if it is simply allowed to end there without any legal action," he said in a video.Hassan also highlighted TH's financial position in 2017, saying the pilgrimage fund reported a profit of RM3.4 billion when it should allegedly have recorded a net loss of RM1.4 billion.He said this amounted to a RM4.8 billion discrepancy, and claimed that TH’s true financial position had been concealed.Hassan likewise questioned the "hibah" distribution for that year, citing Section 22(3) of the Tabung Haji Act 1995, which prohibits the fund from declaring or paying dividends or profit distributions when its assets are lower than its liabilities.Without mentioning names, he said investigators could examine the roles of the CEO or managing director, group chief financial officer, chairman, board members and senior officers at the time.He stressed that he was not accusing any specific individual of committing an offence."Anyone who is charged is not automatically guilty. They have the right to defend themselves," he added.Hassan said the matter was of significant public interest as it involved the savings of Muslims who had deposited money with Tabung Haji to perform the haj and umrah.He also welcomed the government’s decision to disclose the RCI report and have it tabled in Parliament for debate.The RCI was established in 2021 to investigate TH’s management, operations and asset-related issues between 2014 and 2020, following concerns over governance and the fund’s financial position. The inquiry completed its report in July 2022.