KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 27): Lembaga Tabung Haji will take legal action against the person who leaked the warning letter from Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) indicating reserves of the pilgrims' fund were in the red, the fund's chairman Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Rahim said today.

He said Tabung Haji had responded to the central bank's letter issued this month.

"As to what was leaked in the BNM letter, I am discussing with my lawyer for further action.

"Because that letter was in my possession, I had answered in January and do not know how it was leaked," he told reporters when met in Parliament lobby today.

Azeez said the act of leaking the letter was irresponsible.

He added that Tabung Haji did not require financial aid from Putrajaya to pay dividends to its 8.8 million depositors this year.

In the letter dated December 23 last year, Bank Negara governor Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz told the pilgrims' fund chairman that it had only 98 sen in assets for each ringgit in liability.

But Azeez said Tabung Haji was not in any financial problem.

"As the chairman representing board members, I assure our depositors there is no financial trouble and there will be no losses.

"We do not need the government to step in to help financially," he said, adding that Bank Negara's evaluation in the letter had not taken into account the pilgrims fund's investment portfolios, such as the shares of its subsidiaries, its plantation assets and property.

"We will organise a media conference to announce the dividends soon and also answer any queries from the press."