Former Auditor-General Tan Sri Dr Madinah Mohamad was subpoenaed and attended the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into Lembaga Tabung Haji on June 3, 2022, but claims she was told to leave without giving oral evidence that day [1, 2]. She submitted written answers to 75 questions under statutory declaration on April 1, 2022, which were accepted as her witness statement [3, 4, 5].

The RCI testimony was conducted individually with one witness examined at a time. Madinah had requested to appear together with then Deputy Director of Financial Audit Dr Mona Othman, but the commission did not permit this and instead summoned Mona separately, who appeared on June 2, 2022 [3, 4, 5].

Madinah disputes that she asked to enter the hearing room accompanied by Mona and says Mona was only on standby outside to provide technical input if needed. She stated, "I never asked to enter the hearing room with Mona... a member of the secretariat informed me I did not need to enter and asked me to go home" [1, 2]. Madinah also said her written affidavit "cannot replace oral testimony" and that the commission needed to hear her views directly [2].

Tabung Haji chairman and RCI member Tan Sri Rashid Hussain strongly refuted Madinah’s claims on September 3, 2026. He said, "It is impossible to believe that we would not have called her to appear before us. Our records showed that she was subpoenaed to appear on June 3, 2022... It is not true to say that she did not have an opportunity to be represented or to provide her views" [3]. He also insisted, "For the record, Tan Sri (Madinah) was served with a subpoena. Therefore, what she said is not true" [5].

Dr Mona Othman testified separately on June 2, 2022, submitting a full report to the RCI [3, 5]. The commission’s method of examining witnesses individually was confirmed by multiple sources [3, 4, 5].

The dispute centers on whether Madinah was properly called to give oral evidence during her appearance on June 3, 2022, and whether the written submission sufficed. Rashid’s statement today rejects the claim she was denied an opportunity to orally testify.

The RCI continues to keep the official records of witness testimonies and affidavits from all parties involved to complete its inquiry.