The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Lembaga Tabung Haji has identified serious governance failures, political interference, and questionable accounting practices that contributed to the pilgrimage fund’s financial difficulties between 2014 and 2020.

In its report, the six-member commission chaired by former chief justice Raus Sharif said weaknesses in the Tabung Haji Act 1995 gave excessive powers to the minister in charge of religious affairs, particularly over appointments to the fund’s board and senior management.

The absence of...