EVEN FROM PILGRIMS, NAJIB REGIME STOLE BY THE BILLIONS – YET UMNO HAS THE GALL TO CALL FOR ‘QUIET’ INVESTIGATIONS INTO TABUNG HAJI – SO THAT ITS CORRUPT LEADERS ARE SPARED EMBARRASSMENT ON THE MEDIA?

KUALA LUMPUR — Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki urged the authorities to follow the rule of law in its investigation of Tabung Haji, the country’s largest fund dedicated to Muslim pilgrims, following allegations that millions of ringgit were funnelled to political activities.

The Umno Youth chief said he takes a serious view of the alleged misconduct by a former chairman of Lembaga Tabung Haji (LTH) and the senior management of the fund’s welfare arm Yayasan Tabung Haji (YTH).

“Umno Youth stresses that there can be no compromise on issues concerning integrity and morals, what more when they involve a religious institution where the public expects high levels of administrative principles,” he said in a statement posted on his Facebook page last night.

He called on the authorities, especially the police, to immediately begin their investigations into the matter and for charges to be pressed without delay if there is strong evidence to suggest criminal misconduct.

“Let the legal process be conducted fairly, transparently and without prejudice in court and not on the media stage.

“Investigations must be undertaken immediately on the basis of public interest and prevent the public from continuing to engage in polemics about the reputation of this Islamic institution which has contributed much to Muslims in Malaysia and is respected worldwide,” former deputy minister in charge of Islamic Religious Affairs added.

On November 30, the new LTH filed a police report that more than RM22 million of YTH’s funds had been used for activities with political inclinations last year.

A second police report was filed over the sale of TH’s 95 per cent stake in PT TH Indo Plantations, a plantation company which had owned 83,000 hectares of land in Indonesia, for US$910 million in 2012 to PT Borneo Pacific.

The first police report implicated former LTH chairman Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim who was a trustee of the welfare arm; and former CEOs Tan Sri Ismee Ismail and Datuk Seri Johan Abdullah, TH chief operating officer Datuk Adi Azuan, and chief financial officer Datuk Rozaida Omar.

The second police report implicated Ismee, legal adviser Hazlinda Mohd Khalid and senior general manager, corporate services and real estate, Rifina Md Ariff, who were alleged to have misrepresented and withheld material information of the landbank sale.

MALAY MAIL