(May 15): PAS will take to the streets if Lembaga Tabung Haji chairman Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Rahim and top executives of 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) involved in the recent land deal between the two funds do not resign, says a leader from the party's influential ulama wing.

The ulama wing's information chief Datuk Dr Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali urged party members to lodge police reports around the country and to call for the resignations of those who had a conflict of interest in the deal.

"We want Azeez and the board members involved in 1MDB to immediately end their service. Tabung Haji should not be made into a 'yes man' to the betrayal of the public's funds," Khairuddin told the press today in front of the Tabung Haji building on Jalan Tun Razak in Kuala Lumpur today.

"If this is not settled, we will launch a massive demonstration together with the people," he said.

Earlier, Khairuddin led about 200 protesters in handing a memorandum to Tabung Haji's senior general manager of human resource Hisham Harun.

Protesters had gathered in front of the headquarters of the pilgrims' fund after Friday prayers.

The fund to help Muslims save to perform the haj or pilgrimage in Mecca, has come under fire for purchasing a 0.63ha plot of land at the Tun Razak Exchange for RM188.5 million from 1MDB.

Although Tabung Haji will now sell the land, PAS said that Azeez and other senior members of the fund's management had failed to administer pilgrims' savings wisely.

He said the memorandum, among others, outlined the Islamist party's disappointment over land deal and demand that Tabung Haji avoid being caught in a financial scandal with controversial 1Malaysia Development Berhad.

Khairuddin said Tabung Haji should also apologise to all Malaysians, especially the depositors for not being vigilant and must cancel all business transactions with 1MDB pending the outcome of the probe by the authorities.

Tabung Haji has been under fire over reports that it had purchased a plot of land from debt-ridden 1MDB for RM188.5 million last month.

Critics questioned whether the deal was a bid to bail out the troubled state-owned investment arm, and noted how several executives and board members of Tabung Haji also held positions in 1MDB.

Tabung Haji had since denied any conflict of interest, saying that its group managing director and CEO Tan Sri Ismee Ismail, who also sits on 1MDB’s board, had stayed out of all the negotiations.

Another senior Tabung Haji executive and two board members, all of whom also hold 1MDB-related positions, however, did not abstain as they did not hold decision-making positions in 1MDB.

Tabung Haji's deputy group managing director and chief executive Datuk Johan Abdullah, who is also chairman of 1MDB subsidiary Edra Global, was the lead figure in all negotiations leading to the fund's purchase of the land.

Tan Sri Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah, a Tabung Haji board member and also an 1MDB advisory board member, while Tan Sri Abdul Samad Alias, who is on the Tabung Haji investment panel, also sits on the 1MDB advisory board. – The Malaysian Insider