The court also asked the businessman to reimburse $1.859 million (approximately SR6 million) he had collected from foreign pilgrims under a transportation deal that he failed to honor, Al-Madinah newspaper reported yesterday.

The court made the accused to sign a pledge never to repeat the crime.

The accused had signed a legal contract to airlift 4,650 Arab pilgrims home after Haj, but he failed to honor the contract.

Issuing the preliminary verdict, the judge said the defendant was found guilty of financial fraud as he took money from the pilgrims and refused to return it. "This is an unlawful act that deserves punishment, particularly as it involves pilgrims whom we should take good care of," said the ruling.

Affidavits from the representative of the Haj authority in pilgrims' country and a mediator who brokered the contract accused the businessman of lying to the pilgrims. The businessmen had allegedly told the pilgrims that he could overcome all difficulties in arranging transportation for them with the help an agent with high connections in the Kingdom.

The evidence and the documents presented to the court by the Prosecution and Investigations Commission (PIC) along with the list of charges proved beyond doubt that the businessman had committed financial fraud embezzling money from the pilgrims.

A cable sent by the Haj minister to the businessman denouncing his act was also presented to the court.

The list of charges prepared by the PIC also said the businessman had defrauded 1,041 African pilgrims two years ago. He had shipped their luggage by sea after air freight charges from them.