More than MVR 6 million was spent on accommodation for hajj pilgrims: Head of Maleesha

Head of Maleesha Hajj and Umra Services Ismail Abdul Latheef has said that out of the MVR 8.6 million collected from aspirant hajj pilgrims, more than MVR 6 million was spent as rent for accommodation for pilgrims in Makkah.

Ismail Abdul Latheef said this in court today at the trial of the fraud case against him, in response to a question posed by Chief Judge of Criminal Court Abdullah Mohamed.

When asked what he did with the remaining money, instead of answering the question, Ismail Abdul Latheef said that those details had been presented to the court in writing.

He said that three people from Kaafu Huraa had been reimbursed the money they paid to Maleesha Services.

He said that Maleesha Group started collecting funds from pilgrims before the permit for taking people to hajj had been obtained, and this was done after receiving a document from the Ministry of Islamic Affairs stating that some slots from the quota of 500 slots, which was to be provided by the Saudi Arabian government, would be released to the group.

“We had received a document from the Islamic Ministry, stating that we would get the permit, from the 500 slots which were to be received later,” he said.

Statements from two witnesses were also presented by the State in court today.

Hussain Lugumaan Adam, who worked with collecting funds on behalf of Maleesha Group, said that he handed the money over to Ismail Abdul Latheef after collecting them from aspirant pilgrims.

He also said that Maleesha Group had not received the permit from the ministry when it started collecting money from people, and while three people in Kaafu Huraa had been reimbursed, the remaining people had been given cheques which could not be cashed.

A former administrative official of Maleesha Hajj Office said that money was collected from people before receiving the permit, with the intention of storing it safely until the permit was received. He said that the money was collected after receiving the document from the ministry, with the intention of taking people for hajj.

He said that when it became impossible to obtain slots from Male’ to take people for hajj, Ismail Abdul Latheef obtained more than 100 slots from Sri Lanka. He said that he was told by Ismail Abdul Latheef that efforts were ongoing to obtain even more slots.

Maleesha Group collected money from 126 people with the promise of taking them for hajj in the Hijri year 1433.