Urusharta Jamaah denies Tabung Haji hotels shut down

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 20): The Finance Ministry’s special purpose vehicle Urusharta Jamaah Sdn Bhd (UJ) has firmly denied allegations that the Finance Ministry or Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng has irresponsibly shut down Lembaga Tabung Haji hotels and subsequently dismissed the affected hotel staff.

In a statement today responding to recent social media posts, UJ said Lim was not involved in the decision-making for the above restructuring exercise or any decision that pertains to UJ.

“He did not even attend any meetings on any of the matters relating to UJ,” it said.

The company said its management and assets are governed by UJ's board, which is chaired by Treasury Secretary-General Tan Sri Ahmad Badri Mohd Zahir.

“All the board of directors, CEO Izad Sallehuddin, and the senior management of UJ are Muslim professionals,” it said.

Meanwhile, UJ said there will be no redundancies at TH Hotel & Residence Sdn Bhd (THHR).

Approximately 90% of THHR's existing staff will be absorbed into UJ Property Management Sdn Bhd, which was formed to assume the operations of Tabung Haji’s four hotels, with the remaining 10% to be absorbed by THHR Kelana Jaya, UJ explained.

“Under the new management, the hotels will operate and remain shariah-compliant under the new name of Raia Hotel from April 1, 2020.

“UJ has further approved funds to improve hotel facilities and service quality,” it said.

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