Abdul Azeez says ready to face fresh probe over Tabung Haji RCI findings

Abdul Azeez says ready to face fresh probe over Tabung Haji RCI findings



Former Tabung Haji chairman Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim at Kuala Lumpur High Court September 7, 2022. — File picture by Hari Anggara


Summary

• Former Tabung Haji chairman, Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim, expressed willingness to undergo further investigation following allegations highlighted in the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report.
• He questioned the timing of the report's release during the Negri Sembilan state election, emphasizing his past cooperation with authorities and asserting no wrongdoing was found.
• Abdul Azeez highlighted his non-executive role at Tabung Haji and appealed to the public to review the RCI report independently.
• He also defended the historical management of Tabung Haji under Umno and BN, emphasizing its acclaimed haj management record.

First Published: Thursday, 30 Jul 2026 2:53 PM MYT


JELEBU, July 30 — Former Tabung Haji (TH) chairman Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim said he is prepared to be investigated again if necessary following allegations of misconduct raised in the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report, according to Sinar Harian.

Abdul Azeez said the 204-page RCI report had been completed at the end of 2022 and tabled at several Cabinet meetings.


“I do not know why it was not released for three years and eight months... only the prime minister knows. The RCI clearly states that it can be made public.


“If I had really stolen, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad would have jailed me back in 2018... I was detained for 14 nights in a lock-up and thoroughly investigated, including through a forensic audit,” he was quoted as saying.


He said this while campaigning for Barisan Nasional (BN) Pertang candidate Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias in Taman Simpang Pertang here today.


Abdul Azeez said the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) then chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki had issued an official letter in 2021 stating that there had been no abuse of power or misappropriation.

The former Baling MP also said he had been called by the police 11 times previously to assist in forensic investigations.


He questioned why the RCI report was released during the Negri Sembilan state election campaign instead of earlier.

“Two weeks ago I asked the police and they told me the file had been completed and was only waiting for a No Further Action (NFA) directive.

“So if they want to investigate again, go ahead. I will be the first to give my full cooperation. If I stole, I will take responsibility. But do not keep repeating the word ‘sakau’ for political interests,” he said.

Abdul Azeez said he had previously appealed to then prime minister Dr Mahathir, then deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and former minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mujahid Yusof Rawa to establish an RCI into the matter.

He said he later made the same appeal to former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, but it did not receive attention.

“I wanted the matter to be resolved, but nothing was done. Alhamdulillah, when Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob became prime minister, he agreed to establish the RCI.

“If Umno had stolen, if my minister had stolen, if I had stolen as TH chairman then, I would not have asked for an RCI. Let the people judge,” he was quoted as saying.

Abdul Azeez also said that as a non-executive chairman at the time, he did not have absolute authority to approve transactions or investments on his own.

He said every proposal had to go through the investment panel and risk management division before being tabled to the board of directors.

“I was not an executive chairman. I was only an ordinary chairman. The top management was responsible for providing all the explanations and detailed reports after the risk management division and investment panel had reviewed them. The people need to know that process,” he said.

He also urged the current administration not to dismiss Umno and BN’s record in managing Tabung Haji since 1963.

“Current ministers should not try to please their boss (the prime minister) by claiming their era is the best. For 15 consecutive years, including the seven years when I was there, Tabung Haji was recognised as having the best haj management in the world.

“We successfully helped more than 1.4 million Malaysians perform the haj with a welfare and healthcare system that had no equal. They are now only strengthening what is already there, so do not deny our previous contributions,” he said.

Abdul Azeez also urged the public and Tabung Haji depositors to read the RCI report themselves without being influenced by others.