Criminal Court asks State to reconsider charges against head of Maleesha Hajj Group

Criminal Court has granted time for the State to reconsider the fraud charges taken up against Ismail Abdul Latheef, the Head of Maleesha Hajj and Umra Services.

Ismail Abdul Latheef is being charged for fraud for collecting money from a large group of people and deceiving them with the promise of arranging their Hajj pilgrimage last year.

The charges taken up by the State stipulates that Ismail Abdul Lathee had collected a total of MVR 8.6 million from a large number of people with the promise of taking them to Hajj during 2012 (1433 Hijri), and had then betrayed them.

Announcing the charges in Criminal Court today, the court’s chief judge Abdulla Mohamed asked the State to reconsider their charges, stating that the charges were flawed.

Judge Abdulla Mohamed noted that the issue involves the rights of a large number of people and that continuing with the current charges might change the course of the trail.

The Judge also asked the State attorney to explain the factors considered when they decided to take up the current charges against Ismail Abdul Latheef.

Assistant Public Proscutor Aishath Mohamed answered that Ismail Abdul Latheef collected money from his clients before the Ministry of Islamic Affairs had granted him the permission to proceed with arrangements for the pilgrimage.

Judge Abdulla Mohamed also asked the State whether the people who handed the money to Maleesha Group had done so based on their confidence with the group.

The Assistant Public Prosecutor answered that the payment receipts statements issued by the Group stated that the group would safeguard the money.

The Judge had then asked if the charges should not rather be taken up under Article 149 of the Penal Code.

Article 149 (b) of the Penal Code states that misappropriation of funds is an act of collecting money in the guise that the corresponding party may benefit from the such an action or with the false perception that a certain means in possible, and to use such money for other means or gains.

The majority of people who had paid for Hajj pilgrimage to Maleesha Group in 2012 belong to the island of Thaa Guraidhoo. Two Indian citizens also paid the Group to arrange their pilgrimage in 2012.