PETALING JAYA: The decision to publicly release the findings of the royal commission of inquiry (RCI) on Tabung Haji (TH) was not part of an election strategy ahead of the Negeri Sembilan state election, says government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil.
Fahmi, who is also the communications minister, said the Cabinet had unanimously approved releasing the report to the public.
He said the decision would also allow the RCI report to be debated in the Dewan Rakyat and enable the relevant authorities to take action based on its findings.
“We went through the proper processes. It was brought to the Cabinet, discussed by the Cabinet and the decision was made unanimously,” he was quoted by Bernama as saying at Felda Palong 2 in Jempol, Negeri Sembilan.
The RCI report on TH was declassified and released to the public yesterday, about four years after the commission completed it in July 2022.
Citing a briefing by TH chairman Abdul Rashid Hussain, who also served on the RCI, Fahmi said Rashid had requested that the report not be released immediately after his appointment in 2023 to allow time to rebuild depositors’ confidence.
“He asked the prime minister to defer the report’s release because we wanted to rebuild confidence among depositors by implementing the recommendations contained in it.
“Today, we know that 75% of the RCI’s recommendations have been implemented. Several recommendations, including those involving legal action and follow-up by enforcement agencies, still need to be implemented,” he said.
Fahmi said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had also informed the Cabinet that the police, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Bank Negara Malaysia and other authorities responsible for enforcing the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 would act based on the report’s findings.
Responding to claims that the report did not use the colloquial term “sakau” (embezzlement), Fahmi said it was an official RCI report and therefore employed appropriate legal terminology, rather than everyday language.
“The report does mention corruption. Police reports as well as reports to MACC have been lodged. It is now up to the relevant authorities to examine the findings and take action if any wrongdoing is established.
“The findings indicate that these practices did not begin in 2017 but date back to 2014. We will leave it to the authorities to investigate and take the necessary action,” he said.
