KUALA LUMPUR – Former Religious Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom is facing a massive legal battle after being hit today with three charges over the unlawful disposal of more than RM860 million in Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) funds.
The 65-year-old former Jerai MP stood firm in the Sessions Court early Monday, pleading not guilty to all charges read before Judge Rosli Ahmad.
Court documents reveal the staggering scale of the alleged plot: Jamil Khir is accused of abusing his ministerial post to direct the TH Board into funneling a combined total of RM860,308,770.51 (SAR766,060,237) directly to Saudi Arabia-based property firm Al-Rawda Real Estate Development and Projects Management Co Ltd.
The prosecution pinpointed three massive transactions executed from his Putrajaya offices between 2015 and 2017:
April 3, 2015: RM42.94 million (SAR44.17 million)
Dec 14, 2016: RM288.17 million (SAR250.04 million)
Aug 17, 2017: RM529.19 million (SAR471.85 million)
Framed under Section 403 of the Penal Code for dishonest misappropriation of property, the charges carry a potential jail sentence of up to five years, mandatory whipping, and heavy fines upon conviction.
The courtroom showdown marks the first major prosecution stemming from the explosive Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) findings into Tabung Haji’s historical investment trail.
The prosecution in the high-stakes Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) trial fought for a massive RM1 million bail against Jamil Khir today, citing the staggering RM860.3 million sum involved in his three misappropriation charges.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Farah Ezlin Yusop Khan told the court that the heavy amount, alongside the surrender of his passport, was a “more than sufficient measure” given the ultra-high-profile nature of the case.
However, defense counsel Datuk Hisyam Teh Poh Teik launched a strong pushback, arguing that bail is meant to ensure court attendance—not punish the accused.
“Datuk Seri Jamil Khir has no other source of income, and his only sources of income are his pension as a former minister and his pension as a former Major General in the Malaysian Armed Forces,” Hisyam submitted to the court.
Hisyam, leading a defense team alongside Datuk Hamidi Md Noh, successfully requested a significantly reduced sum of RM300,000.
Sessions Court Judge Rosli Ahmad ultimately ruled in favor of the defense, granting Jamil Khir bail at RM300,000 in one surety, ordering the impounding of his passport, and setting Nov 5 for case mention.
The Al-Rawda black hole
The courtroom battle highlights the fallout from the explosive TH Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report published on July 29. The probe detailed systematic operational failures, hidden data, and suspicious transactions within the pilgrimage fund between 2014 and 2020.
Most damningly, the report revealed that TH suffered nearly RM13 billion in losses across 14 problematic investments—seven of which were total 100% write-offs.
Among all failed ventures, TH’s colossal exposure to Saudi-based Al-Rawda Real Estate Development represents the single largest financial loss listed in the entire RCI investigation. – September 14, 2026