KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysia’s former religious affairs minister Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom has been charged with allegedly misappropriating more than RM860.3 million in funds from the country’s Tabung Haji pilgrimage savings institution, marking a major new development in the widening scandal surrounding the management of one of Malaysia’s most important Islamic financial institutions.
Jamil Khir, 65, pleaded not guilty on Monday, September 14, to three charges at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court involving payments allegedly made to a Saudi Arabian real estate company between 2015 and 2017.
The former minister is accused of dishonestly causing Tabung Haji to dispose of a total of RM860,308,770.51 to Al Rawda Real Estate Development and Projects Management Co. Ltd while he was serving as minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of religious affairs.
The case has drawn major attention in Malaysia because Tabung Haji manages the savings of millions of Muslim depositors preparing for the haj pilgrimage to Mecca.
THREE TRANSACTIONS AT THE HEART OF THE CASE
According to court reports, the three charges involve separate transactions allegedly made during Jamil Khir’s tenure in office.
The first charge concerns approximately RM42.9 million allegedly transferred on April 3, 2015.
The second involves more than RM288.1 million allegedly transferred on December 14, 2016.
The third and largest transaction concerns more than RM529.1 million allegedly transferred on August 17, 2017.
Together, the three transactions total more than RM860 million, or approximately US$211 million. The alleged offences were said to have taken place at Jamil Khir’s office in Putrajaya.
All three charges were brought under Section 403 of Malaysia’s Penal Code, covering dishonest misappropriation of property. A conviction can carry imprisonment, caning and a fine.
Jamil Khir has denied all three charges and will face trial.
The court set bail at RM300,000 and ordered him to surrender his passport and other relevant travel documents while the case is pending. Prosecutors had reportedly sought RM1 million in bail before the court made its decision.
WHY TABUNG HAJI MATTERS
This is not just another corporate or political case.
Tabung Haji, formally known as Lembaga Tabung Haji, was created to help Malaysian Muslims save for the haj pilgrimage and manage the welfare and travel arrangements of pilgrims.
The institution currently manages the savings of more than 9.8 million depositors, making public confidence in its governance a highly sensitive national issue.
That is why the latest prosecution has intensified scrutiny of how billions of ringgit were invested and managed during previous administrations.
Jamil Khir served as Malaysia’s minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for Religious Affairs from 2009 until 2018 during the administration of former prime minister Najib Razak.
THE RCI THAT OPENED THE DOOR TO THE INVESTIGATIONS
The charges against Jamil Khir are linked to the findings of a Royal Commission of Inquiry, or RCI, into Tabung Haji’s management and operations.
The RCI report was declassified and released publicly on July 29, 2026, years after the inquiry was completed.
According to reports, the inquiry identified serious concerns involving governance weaknesses, alleged political interference and problematic investments during the period under review.
The findings triggered a broad investigation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, which opened multiple investigation papers, made arrests and examined transactions involving Tabung Haji-linked investments and companies.
MACC chief commissioner Datuk Seri Abd Halim Aman had earlier confirmed that the anti-graft agency recommended three charges against a former minister under Section 403 of the Penal Code in connection with the RCI investigation.
JAMIL KHIR HAD PREVIOUSLY DEFENDED HIS ROLE
Before the latest charges were filed, Jamil Khir had publicly maintained that decisions made during his tenure were based on recommendations and procedures involving Tabung Haji’s management and board.
He said ministers could not simply make decisions independently on matters involving the institution and that recommendations from Tabung Haji were required under its governance processes.
Jamil Khir was arrested by the MACC earlier this month and initially remanded for five days before his remand was extended by another two days as investigators examined issues linked to the RCI report.
His plea of not guilty means the allegations against him must now be tested in court.
SECOND UMNO FIGURE CHARGED IN THE WIDENING TABUNG HAJI CASE
The case against Jamil Khir comes amid a broader series of prosecutions linked to the Tabung Haji investigation.
CNA reported that Jamil became the second UMNO-linked leader charged in connection with the fund within as many weeks. Former Tabung Haji chairman Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim had earlier pleaded not guilty to a separate charge involving allegations that he used his position to obtain benefits.
Malaysian authorities have been investigating multiple transactions and investments connected to the RCI findings, meaning the prosecution of Jamil Khir may not be the final major development in the wider Tabung Haji saga.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
For now, Jamil Khir remains presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
But the case raises much bigger questions for Malaysia: How were major investment decisions involving the country’s haj savings fund approved? Who was responsible for oversight? And could further prosecutions follow as investigators continue examining the transactions identified in the RCI report?
With more than 9.8 million depositors connected to Tabung Haji, the outcome of the cases could have consequences far beyond the courtroom.
The RM860 million case is now set to become one of the most closely watched chapters in Malaysia’s continuing effort to uncover what happened inside the country’s pilgrimage savings institution.
As the legal battle begins, one question remains at the center of the controversy: Will the court proceedings finally reveal how hundreds of millions of ringgit from one of Malaysia’s most trusted Islamic institutions ended up at the center of a criminal case?
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