THE government is prepared to release the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into Tabung Haji (TH), with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim saying the public should be allowed to examine findings related to the institution’s previous strategic asset sales.
Anwar said he would consult Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar to determine whether the report could be released immediately or whether it must first be referred to the Cabinet.
"If the process does not require it, I will publish it today. If it requires Cabinet consideration, I will wait until Wednesday because the people have the right to know," he told reporters after launching the Humane Economy Global Discourse 2026 at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur.
Anwar said the decision to eventually publish the report had already been made, but the government had previously been advised to first strengthen TH’s management and address weaknesses identified within the institution.
"When the report was presented to us, we decided that it should be published. But later, we were advised that at that time there was a need to improve management and rectify several irregularities that had occurred," he said.
The Prime Minister said the government’s main concern at the time was protecting the savings of TH depositors amid issues involving governance and financial management.
"I believe there were many breaches of regulations and I cannot say it was corruption, but there were major abuses. Our concern at that time was the savings of Tabung Haji depositors," he said.
Anwar said TH’s position had since improved following several years of restructuring and recovery efforts, led by chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Hussain and the institution’s new management team.
He said the management reforms were carried out based on recommendations and observations made by the RCI, adding that the improved position of TH meant there was now no major obstacle to making the report public.
"Now, I believe Tabung Haji has improved significantly and I have no objection at all to publishing or distributing the report because this report belongs to the people’s right to know," he said.
The issue resurfaced after Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Zulkifli Hasan informed the Dewan Negara that the transfer of TH’s underperforming and problematic assets to government-owned special purpose vehicle Urusharta Jamaah Sdn Bhd (UJSB) was a collective Cabinet decision made in 2018.
Zulkifli said the restructuring exercise followed findings by the Auditor-General and Bank Negara Malaysia that revealed serious financial challenges at TH, including a RM10.9 billion gap between assets and liabilities at the time.
He said the recovery measures had since strengthened TH’s financial position, with deposits increasing from about RM69.4 billion in 2019 to more than RM95.1 billion as of the middle of this year.
The government’s possible release of the RCI report comes amid renewed public interest over the circumstances surrounding TH’s asset restructuring exercise and allegations involving the disposal of strategic holdings.
Anwar said transparency remained important, but the government had also been careful to ensure that any disclosure did not undermine public confidence in Malaysia’s premier Islamic pilgrimage savings institution. - July 23, 2026
