JEDDAH: A leading electronic Umrah service providing company in the Kingdom has filed a SR700-million lawsuit seeking damages against the Ministry of Haj for the alleged failure to reinstate the canceled license of the company even after the Court of Grievances issued two orders to cancel the suspension.
The Labbaik Co. for Umrah Services said the sum is the estimated loss of business due to the loss of the license.
“The Ninth Administrative Division of the Court of Grievances in Jeddah issued a second order recently to cancel the suspension of the company’s license and permit it to continue its services.
But the ministry did not obey the court’s order, as the ministry did not heed a first order issued by the court in 2007,” the company’s chief executive, Yasser Al-Khouli, told Arab News on Saturday.
“The Ministry of Haj should be a model in obeying court orders, however as some officials of the ministry do not accept this idea we had to got to court a second time on the same issue.” The first ruling took place three years ago, he added.
Al-Khouli also said he wrote to the minister of Haj about the matter, mentioning that several companies and individuals collaborating with Labbaik were suffering because of the noncompliance with the court order.
He also said his was the first company to be licensed as an electronic Umrah service provider in the Kingdom.
An electronic Umrah service provider plays a vital role in the issue of visas to pilgrims in foreign countries.
It links Umrah companies in the Kingdom with their approved agents abroad, who register the names of Umrah applicants in their countries, and sends their applications to the Haj and Umrah Information Center for approval then passes them to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for issuing visas.
While the number of Umrah pilgrims stood at 3.45 million last year their number is expected to grow by 10 percent this year.
