The authorities have arrested a number of people involved in running 16 bogus Haj companies, according to Hatim Bin Hassan Qadhi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Haj. The ministries of interior and Haj were involved in uncovering the fraud. Committees in every governorate will conduct preliminary investigations and the accused will be referred to the Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution (BIP) and then to the courts. Qadhi told Okaz/Saudi Gazette that 12 fake Haj companies were discovered by the police and Passports Department in different regions of the Kingdom. The other four were found operating in Mina and Arafat by the field monitoring committees of the Ministry of Haj. The field monitoring committees were also involved in following up on complaints from pilgrims and companies. A few complaints were received regarding basic services, cleanliness, quality of food and overcrowding. Some of the complaints were dealt with while a tripartite committee comprising the ministries of Haj, interior and commerce will look into the remaining complaints next week. Qadhi said those involved in running fake Haj companies face a fine of up to SR100,000 and jail time. The prison term doubles for repeat offenders who are listed on the government's Haj company blacklist. The money of the victims will be returned, he added. He said the ministry's field team, in charge of monitoring the performance of local pilgrims establishments, was present at 12 locations. Qadhi also said that the low cost Haj program was “a success”. “The ministry distributed opinion poll questionnaires to 29 establishments participating in the program and to the pilgrims and owners. The results were very satisfactory,” he said. “Not only this, but there are now calls by pilgrims and owners to expand this experiment. We will conduct a comprehensive evaluation after the season ends.” Qadhi added that 80 percent of Tawafa establishments and Haj missions complied with government measures to reduce overcrowding at the holy sites and at the Grand Mosque and Central Area in Makkah. This included holding back 600,000 to 800,000 pilgrims in Mina Wednesday, the third day of Tashreeq. The pilgrims were able to stone the Jamarat with ease. __
