SHAH ALAM, Aug 11 — Several investments by Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) detailed in the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report have raised questions over possible links to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal.
Gombak MP cum Selangor Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari raised the matter when questioning TH's decision to acquire a 30 per cent stake in Putrajaya Perdana Bhd (PPB) in November 2014, as well as the appointment of the then-TH chairman as PPB's chairman in January 2015.
He said this requires scrutiny following the flow of funds from SRC International Sdn Bhd to several companies linked to PPB, including allegations that the funds were channelled into the account of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
"My question is, overall, how much of the TH ummah depositors' savings was used to pay 1MDB's debts and cover up the company's wrongdoing since 2014?
"And what investment assessment reports were used by TH's management, and was there political pressure for these funds to be used without complying with the investment conditions and criteria?" he said during the debate at a special sitting of the Dewan Rakyat in Parliament today.
Meanwhile, Amirudin also questioned the role of TH's senior management at the time, who were appointed to positions in companies linked to 1MDB and SRC International.
If TH depositors' funds were involved in such dealings, it would amount to compounding and multiplying the betrayal of the public.
"I raise this because it has become intertwined and connected to another major scandal that has also tarnished the national image, namely 1MDB.
"If TH funds were involved, it would amount to a compounding and multiplying of the betrayal against the public," he said.
On Saturday (August 8), His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, the King of Malaysia, decreed that the investigation into the RCI report on TH be conducted comprehensively.
The sovereign noted that the matter is important to ensure that all responsible parties are held to account and to prevent similar issues from recurring in the future.
On July 29, the government decided to make the 211-page RCI report public, which exposed various weaknesses in TH's management and operations between 2014 and 2020.
