Govt to reveal Tabung Haji RCI report today

• UPDATED 7.10PM | Added Tabung Haji’s response welcoming the government’s move.

The cabinet has agreed to declassify the Tabung Haji royal commission of inquiry report, which will also be released today.

It also agreed that investigations by authorities pursuant to the report will resume immediately and that anyone found to have violated the law will be brought to justice.

As of writing, the government has not stated exactly when or where the report will be released.

Government spokesperson Fahmi Fadzil said in a statement today that the cabinet was briefed about the report, which covered Tabung Haji activities from 2014 to 2020.

They were informed that of the 25 recommendations made by the RCI, 75 percent had been implemented.

Fahmi said that the government hopes to hold a special Dewan Rakyat sitting soon to debate the report, as it requires scrutiny by MPs.

Bernama reported him saying that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had asked Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said to liaise with Dewan Rakyat speaker Johari Abdul to determine the date for the special sitting.

“The third meeting of this year’s parliamentary session will begin in early October. However, the prime minister hopes that we can hold it within a not-too-distant timeframe because this is a very important matter that needs to be examined and debated by MPs,” he reportedly said.

Tabung Haji improvements

In a statement on Facebook, Tabung Haji welcomed the government's decision to make the RCI report public.

"Tabung Haji has taken note of the RCI's recommendations concerning matters that occurred prior to 2018. Since then, Tabung Haji has moved forward.

"Tabung Haji has implemented 75 percent of the RCI's recommendations to strengthen the institution's governance and overall resilience. The remaining recommendations are currently being implemented," it said.

The pilgrims' fund board said it had also restored its balance sheet, built up its reserves and increased its profit distribution to 3.5 percent, the highest rate in eight years.

It added that haj costs had been maintained at RM33,300 per pilgrim for three consecutive years.

"Tabung Haji remains committed to safeguarding the interests of its depositors, strengthening public confidence, and ensuring that the institution continues to operate with integrity and accountability," it said.

Last week, Anwar expressed confidence that a proposal to release the report would be approved by the cabinet.

He said it was not released three years ago because the government wanted to avoid undermining public confidence in the pilgrims’ fund board.

Publishing the report at the time could have triggered panic among depositors, leading to a mass withdrawal of funds that might have destabilised Tabung Haji, he added.

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What is it about?

Not much is known about the Tabung Haji RCI.

The probe was launched in January 2022 after receiving royal assent, and was completed in June.

When the government initially decided to conduct an RCI in July 2021, then deputy prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said it would cover audit results of consultants such as PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC), Ernst & Young (EY), and Roland Berger from 2014 to 2020.

He said the RCI would also determine whether there was a cover-up or misleading statements.

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However, it is not clear if this was the scope given to the RCI when it was finally set up in 2022.

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