JELEBU (July 29): Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim stressed that any individual found responsible for losses suffered by Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH), based on the findings of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report released Wednesday, will be brought to justice.
He said any element of misappropriation, fraud and abuse of power identified in the report would be thoroughly investigated by the relevant authorities, including the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM), the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and Bank Negara Malaysia.
“Those responsible for the losses, fraud and abuse of power will be investigated by the police, the MACC and Bank Negara... everyone will be investigated.
“If there is evidence, they will be charged (in court). Let them face trial in court, and let them go to prison (if convicted). There is no problem with that. That is the rule of law in this country,” he said at an afternoon tea session with PMX at the Chennah state constituency in Simpang Durian here on Wednesday.
Also present was Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook, who is also the Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate for the Chennah state seat in the upcoming 16th Negeri Sembilan state election.
Earlier, communications minister and Madani government spokesperson Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil said the Cabinet had agreed that the RCI report on TH covering the period from 2014 to 2020 is to be declassified and made public today.
In a statement, Fahmi said the report would also be tabled and debated at a special Dewan Rakyat sitting in the near future.
Anwar, who is also finance minister, said the Cabinet had previously been briefed by TH chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Hussain, who informed ministers that TH had suffered losses amounting to RM10 billion.
He said TH’s losses began in 2014 and that the fund had previously received warnings from Bank Negara Malaysia, which were ignored by the relevant parties.
“(TH) lost RM10 billion because it did not comply with the regulations, because of poor investments and because there were many problems... it has been happening since 2014.
“In 2014, Bank Negara, through the governor of Bank Negara, wrote to TH highlighting the breaches, but they were ignored,” he said.
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