JEDDAH, 26 December 2006 — Officials in Makkah have stepped up investigations into establishments suspected of involvement in circulating fake coupons of sacrificial animals at a lower price than the rate fixed by the Islamic Development Bank (IDB). The probe was announced by an official of the Project for Utilization of Sacrificial Animals (PUSA), an IDB endeavor. The IDB is the sole official agency responsible for managing the sacrificial meat project.
While the price of a sacrificial animal approved by the IDB is SR370, unauthorized agencies sell coupons at a reduced rate of SR250. The IDB has appointed Al-Rajhi Bank to sell the coupons for the sacrificial animals. The bank has more than 60 outlets at the holy sites selling the coupons.
The investigators, who went into action following complaints about an emerging black market for the coupons for sacrificial animals, have discovered that the fake coupons were issued in the name of several Islamic societies in Makkah and Madinah.
Police have arrested several people who were found to have distributed illegal coupons. The establishments allegedly involved in the manipulation will be fined a huge amount and will be made to refund the money they received from pilgrims illegally, Ahmad Arif, supervisor of the PUSA, told Arab News.
“Officials from 10 establishments involved in the violation are being interrogated to find out the details and the extent of the illegal coupon sales they have made,” Arif said.
Reiterating that there was not a single establishment authorized to issue the coupons other than the Al-Rajhi Bank, Arif said, “The monitoring measures adopted by the police will unveil the full picture of the illegal sales of the coupons in two or three days after the Haj.”
He suspected that more companies were involved in the illegal activity.
The meat of the large number of animals sacrificed by pilgrims will be distributed among the poor in Makkah and other parts of the Kingdom. The IDB will also send large quantities of the meat to 27 countries for distribution among the poor.
The PUSA supervisor said that the IDB had launched a media campaign and distributed fliers and booklets to advise the pilgrims not to be cheated by unauthorized agencies selling the coupons. The bank has also instructed representatives of Haj delegations from various countries to warn the pilgrims under their control not to buy coupons from unauthorized agencies. It has also told officials at entry points to foil any attempt to smuggle in fake coupons from abroad.
The bank hopes to sell coupons worth SR263 million during this season. PUSA made contracts with several Saudi companies to import sheep worth SR260 million to meet the demand for sacrificial animals.
