Special Dewan sitting today to deliberate Tabung Haji RCI report [WATCH]

KUALA LUMPUR: Today, the Dewan Rakyat will hold a special session to examine the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report concerning the Tabung Haji (TH). The one-day meeting commences at 10am and will be streamed live on Parliament's YouTube platform and official media channels. Minister within the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Dr Zulkifli Hasan will kick off the proceedings with an overview of the RCI report.

This will be followed by a question-and-answer session by the Members of Parliament (MPs), which is expected to conclude with a debate led by Dr Zulkifli and Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan. Earlier, Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil confirmed that Tan Sri Johari Abdul, Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat, had agreed to conduct the special session without interruptions to allow ample time for MPs to scrutinize the TH RCI Report.

At least 35 to 40 MPs have volunteered to take part in the debate. The 211-page RCI report, published on July 29, contains findings on TH's management and operational shortcomings from 2014 to 2020. Key findings include governance issues such as political interference in management and profit distribution, disregarding depreciation and investment fair value decline.

The report states TH should have reported a net loss of RM1.4 billion in 2017, contrary to the RM3.4 billion profit reported, had Malaysia's Financial Reporting Standards (MFRS) been uniformly applied. This highlights the institution's precarious financial position since 2014, characterized by a liability-asset deficit and investment depreciation issues.

The RCI also points out several contributing factors to TH's financial predicament, such as excessive grant payments, creative accounting, the Auditor-General's indecisiveness, TH's expanded economic role, and the Hajj Financial Assistance (Hafis) burden. The RCI further recommends a forensic audit and urges authorities to promptly act on any police reports or complaints concerning TH's management and operations from 2014 to 2020.

Following the report's release on Saturday, His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, ordered a thorough investigation into the matter, emphasizing the need to hold responsible parties accountable and prevent future recurrence. Government agencies have ramped up efforts since the report's release, focusing investigations on individuals implicated in TH's alleged management irregularities.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has subsequently detained several suspects as part of its probe.