Lembaga Tabung Haji (LTH) Group Managing Director Johan Abdullah said this while thanking embattled state investment firm 1MDB for providing over RM10 million to sponsor 1,100 individuals for the Hajj pilgrimage this year.

“The question of them having to queue or not does not arise as we want to focus on giving the opportunity to mosque committee members and imam,” he said.

He was speaking to reporters after the launch of TH Foundation in Kelana Jaya today by Prime Minister Najib Razak.

“They (the recipients) were very thankful (for the sponsorship) as without it, even if they save for years, they may not have the chance to perform their Hajj,” added Johan.

He said TH did not directly receive the funds from 1MDB, but that it was only assisting the pilgrims’ movements.

“We have experience in terms of management, but we are not directly involved.”

The almost two million of TH depositors have to wait years for their turn to perform the pilgrimage in Mecca.

This is because the Saudi Government only allows 22,320 Malaysian Muslims to perform their religious requirement every year.

Najib at a ceremony in Putrajaya yesterday praised the 1MDB Foundation for the sponsorship, which comes less than a week after the US Department of Justice filed a civil forfeiture suit against individuals who allegedly misappropriated over USD3.5 billion of 1MDB funds.