NOTHING IS SACRED TO UMNO: Tabung Haji chief 'in cahoots' with Najib to cover up 1MDB land sale from PILGRIMS

KUALA LUMPUR - Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua has questioned why the land acquired by Tabung Haji from 1MDB has still not been sold despite Tabung Haji Chairman Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim bragging in May that the land will be sold within two weeks for profits of at least RM 5 million, “and it’s in high demand”.

Speaking to reporters at the lobby of Dewan Rakyat, Pua recalled that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak also spinned a similar tale during meetings with Umno members. “He repeated a similar rhetoric of easy profit for Tabung Haji from the controversial land deal.”

“But, it’s been six weeks, and we don’t see anything happening. The Chairman of Tabung Haji has been quiet.”

Now, he added, it seems that what was announced by Abdul Azeez was “rubbish”. “Those statements were made to convince the public that Tabung Haji acquired the land at a cheap and fair price.”

Pua argued that if it was that easy to get a buyer for the land acquired by Tabung Haji, 1MDB would have sold the land to them instead as the company was having serious cash flow problems. “Now, after six weeks without a buyer for the land, it just goes to show that the amount paid to 1MDB was in fact inflated.”

Pua noted that Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs were on Monday urging Tabung Haji to develop the land itself “for bigger profit”, instead of selling. “This was after Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Jamil Khir Baharom, said that Tabung Haji had yet to sell the land.”

“This U-turn was just an excuse to save Tabung Haji’s face. Nobody wants to buy the land.”

Pua alleged the land in question was deliberately hyped up as being in high demand, so Tabung Haji can backtrack on earlier statements that the land will be sold. “This is highly irresponsible.”

“We want the Minister, and the Chairman of Tabung Haji, to prove that there was a definite offer on paper, made by parties, who want to buy that land at a higher price,” he said. “If they don’t show that, it shows that Tabung Haji has paid too high a price for that piece of land to bail out 1MDB.” - FMT