PUTRAJAYA, Aug 12 — Any decision to form a fresh Royal Commission of Inquiry to scrutinise Lembaga Tabung Haji’s performance from 2021 to 2025 will need the Agong’s consent first, Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil said today.
The Anwar government tabled the report of the inquiry’s findings in a special Parliamentary sitting for debate yesterday, more than three years after the report was published.
TH lost billions from poor investments, the inquiry found, prompting the authorities to crack down on those named in the report.
After the debates, several Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) MPs suggested that the period should be subjected to assessment as well, as the existing investigation only covers 2014 to 2020.
“There are two decisions that need to be made. First, at the Cabinet level, on whether to proceed with or expand (the investigation), because we know that when the RCI was established in 2021, it did not involve the Cabinet alone,” he told reporters after officiating the Sponsorship Handover Ceremony for the 2026 National Day and Malaysia Day Celebration here.
“In fact, because it is a Royal Commission of Inquiry, the decision also requires the consent of His Majesty the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.”
Police have recorded statements from 134 witnesses, including 10 recently called in, as part of investigations into the RCI’s findings, according to news reports.
Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa was reported saying around 10 witnesses had previously given statements, including individuals linked to TH’s management and organisational structure.
Fahmi said for now, government will leave it to the authorities to conduct full investigations based on the findings and information contained in the report.
Investigations would also be based on the additional information provided by Finance Minister II, Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan, and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs), Zulkifli Hasan, during the winding-up speech on the debate over the TH RCI report.
Amir told Parliament this morning seven of the 14 troubled investments of TH resulted in “total losses”, with the collective losses totaling some RM13 billion.
