The former minister for religious affairs of Malaysia Jamil Khir Baharom has pleaded not guilty to three counts of charges relating to RM860.3milion being allegedly misused from Malaysia’s Tabung Haji pilgrimage fund.
Jamil, 65, was brought before the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court on 14th September. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission filed the charges after three deals were discovered between Al Rawda Real Estate Development and Project Management Co Ltd, a Saudi real estate firm.
More than RM42.9 million was transacted in the first deal on 3 April 2015. The second payment totaled over RM288.1mil on Dec 14, 2016, and the third was over RM529.1mil on Aug 17, 2017. The alleged offences took place at Jamil’s office in Putrajaya.
The offenses were under Section 403 of the Malaysian Penal Code for dishonest misappropriation of property. The sentence for a conviction ranges from six months to five years’ imprisonment, caning and fine.
Judge Rosli Ahmad ordered Jamil be granted bail of RM300,000 with a condition for him to hand over his passport. The prosecution had asked for RM1mil bail for Jamil, while his lawyer, Hisham Teh Poh Teik, had requested for a lesser sum.
During his time with the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO)-led government, Jamil was a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for Religious Affairs between 2009 and 2018 under former PM Najib Razak.
On September 1, he was taken into custody by the anti-graft agency and remanded seven days in an investigation related to the Tabung Haji Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI). Jamil had earlier indicated that the decisions taken during his tenure were according to the recommendations of the fund’s board and were in compliance with the procedures.
The investigation of the Tabung Haji took into account the fund’s management and investment and found issues such as political interference, governance issues and dubious investment. The 252-page report was released in July when it was declassified.
Jamil is the second top UMNO leader to be charged in connection with Tabung Haji in recent weeks. Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim, who was the chairman of the company, pleaded not guilty last week in connection with an investment of RM190mil.
The introduction of Tabung Haji was made to assist Malaysian Muslims in saving up for the pilgrimage and to oversee the welfare of the pilgrims. There are currently over 9.8 million depositors in the fund.
Source: CNA
