KUALA LUMPUR, July 13 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has not received any complaints to investigate Lembaga Tabung Haji (LTH) for alleged misconduct over its selection of Muslim pilgrims for the Haj, its chief Tan Sri Azam Baki said today.
He was responding to an anonymous viral letter claiming a “Haj cartel” within the Muslim pilgrimage fund that made made selective choices on Muslims to fill the annual pilgrimage quote to Mecca.
“We have not been informed [of the matter],” Azam told The Malaysian Insight today.
The anonymous letter circulating on social media accused LTH chief executive officer Datuk Seri Amrin Awaluddin of abusing his authority to enable the board chairman Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar and his family to perform the Haj this year without undergoing the proper screening procedures.
The letter also claimed that Azman had advised LTH executive director Datuk Seri Syed Saleh Syed Abdul Rahman to appoint Azman’s nephew as a Haj officer.
Syed Saleh, who is also the Malaysian Haj pilgrimage leader, denied the existence of the alleged Haj cartel yesterday.
National news agency Bernama reported Syed Saleh saying that any tour operator can apply and applicants would be chosen yearly after a detailed screening and selection process that involved meeting 10 conditions.
LTH has also come under fire from the Malaysian Umrah and Haj Travel Agency Association (Papuh) who similarly alleged that a cartel was running the local Haj selection annually, sparking anxiety among local Muslims that they may not be able to fulfil their religious obligations.
Papuh president Datuk Seri Razali Mohd Sham has suggested that LTH rotate the agencies every two years.
