Amanah man ready to face Asyraf in court over Tabung Haji post

Ismail Salleh, a member of Amanah's central committee, has declared his readiness to face Umno secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki in court regarding a Facebook post that allegedly defamed him. The post, shared on July 24, reportedly damaged Asyraf's reputation and was allegedly linked to the Tabung Haji controversy. Ismail denied the post was defamatory, stating he had merely shared an AI-generated poster depicting individuals who held positions related to the Tabung Haji (TH) between 2014 and 2018.

He maintained that he did not accuse any specific person of mismanaging the pilgrim fund and that his lawyers believed Asyraf did not have the legal standing to sue him. Asyraf had sought RM5 million in damages from Ismail and another social media user, Abied Abdullah, who was also served with a letter of demand over similar allegations.

The royal commission of inquiry into TH's financial management between 2014 and 2020 found that seven of the pilgrim fund's 14 investments resulted in total losses, with the largest loss stemming from TH's investment in a Saudi Arabia-based property development company.