KUALA LUMPUR March 4 - The Pilgrims Fund Board (Tabung Haji) is considering using MyKad technology to enhance security for withdrawal of depositors' money, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Abdul Hamid Zainal Abidin said Tuesday.

He said Tabung Haji and the National Registration Department (JPN) were holding discussions on the use of the smartcard technology to boost the people's confidence to save with Tabung Haji.

Tabung Haji wanted to learn from JPN's experience in issuing and managing the multi-purpose MyKad, he told a news conference after the national-level Ma'al Hijrah celebrations here.

He said the number of Tabung Haji depositors had increased, and there had been no further fraudulent withdrawals following the introduction of certain security measures, like the use of savings passbooks.

However, Tabung Haji wished to further improve security of its transactions to prevent a recurrence of the cheating case involving RM4.4 million of Tabung Haji money some two years ago, he said.

On Monday, the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court sentenced an unemployed man, Ahman Khaironi Ahmad, to 29 years' jail and 19 strokes of the rotan after he pleaded guilty to 15 counts of cheating Tabung Haji of RM4.4 million.

Ahman, among other things, had admitted to deceiving Tabung Haji officers and staff into allowing him to make illegal withdrawals from a depositor's account.