Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) chairperson Abd Azeez Abd Rahim said today attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali is not getting paid for his position as the pilgrimage fund’s board member.

In fact, Azeez said, such an appointment is also not new as previous attorneys-general have also been appointed as board members of other organisations.

“Is there any salary? There is no salary.

“This (the appoinment) happened in January; we had a vacancy and the power to appoint is from the minister. I have no powers to appoint and they (other TH board members) needed someone with legal background.

“We then went to the AG’s office and we were asked if there was a salary. If there was no salary, then they would nominate the name of the AG (Apandi,)” Azeez told a press conference at Tabung Haji headquarters today.

He said Apandi ( photo ) was appointed as a TH board member earlier this month, after it had received a letter from Bank Negara that touched on its reserves, as well as the appointment of board members to strengthen management of the pilgrimage fund.

It was earlier announced that TH will pay a dividend of five percent to depositors this year, while a bonus of three percent is paid to those who have not performed the haj.

Meanwhile, Azeez also said that TH would not be selling its land at the Tun Razak Exchange (TRX).

Instead, he said, TH Properties has been tasked to develop apartment complexes on the land that is now valued at more than RM200 million.

“The initial value of the land was RM177.5 million but it is now worth RM250 million.

“(In fact) when we brought the matter to Parliament, it was not only the BNBBC (BN Backbenchers Club) that opposed to selling it, even the opposition did not agree because of its high nett worth.

“TH Properties has been given the mandate to develop apartment complexes there (at TRX Exchange),” said Azeez who noted that the land value per square feet has gone up from RM2,700 to RM3,100.

The current gross development value of the land is estimated to be around RM820 million, he added.