JEDDAH, 15 February 2003 — A three-member panel is to look into the case of 400 fake Haj service contracts and the issuance of other false Haj permits, according to Deputy Haj Minister Hatem Qadi.
He said that four domestic Haj agencies were involved in issuing fake contracts, adding that the case will be passed to the governorate for action.
The panel, which was set up on the basis of a Cabinet decision, includes representatives from the ministries of Haj, interior and commerce, Qadi clarified.
The deputy Haj minister said that more than 900 pilgrims have been cheated by fake Haj service companies.
“We provided accommodation to these pilgrims at a wedding hall in Makkah following a directive from Haj Minister Iyad Madani,” he told Al-Watan.
He said the ministry will withdraw the licenses of Haj service companies if they are found violating the contracts they signed with pilgrims.
“Punishment will vary according to the type and extent of the violations,” Qadi said.
He refused to disclose the names of the four companies which allegedly cheated the pilgrims.
Qadi said that the authorities would also question the officials who had issued Haj permits without signature or stamp.
According to Al-Madinah newspaper, an unlicensed company in Makkah cheated 300 domestic pilgrims out of their money.
Pilgrim Dr. Jamal Ahmed Othman told the Arabic daily that he engaged Al-Iman, a Haj service agency, for SR1,300, but on reaching Mina found there was no one to meet him.
Ibrahim Al-Wardi, another pilgrim, said the owner of Al-Iman had falsely told the pilgrims that he had received Haj permits for them.
