MAKKAH: The Ministry of Haj will be writing a letter to King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, asking him to grant the ministry powers to crack down on companies that swindle or do not provide proper services to pilgrims. The ministry is taking this measure because of the often long delays in getting swift verdicts against crooked Haj company owners. These owners are able to continue operating while the cases are delayed in the courts. This comes in the wake of Friday's warning from Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah, that authorities will no longer tolerate those who use loopholes in the law to get away with fraudulent activities. Dr Abdul Aziz Al-Khedairi, Undersecretary at the emirate and Chairman of the Preparatory and Executive Committee, said the Central Haj Committee will not hesitate to take action against these criminals. He said the emirate will not allow Haj companies to use loopholes in the law to provide poor services to pilgrims. “We will not tolerate any negligence or shortcomings in their services,” he said Ibrahim Al-Jabri, Director General of the Internal Pilgrims' Affairs at the Ministry of Haj, said the ministry is in the process of asking the government to give it more powers to take punitive action against owners of domestic Haj companies and establishments who do not honor their contracts. He said this is needed because a significant number of cases against violating companies have been lying for years at the Board of Grievances. In the meantime, these companies continue to operate with impunity, he added. “It should be understood that the ministry is an executive body in this regard. It does not have absolute powers for immediate punishment. This is why we sought the help of the emirate this year to detain a company owner who breached the terms of a contract he signed with 700 local pilgrims.” He said a tripartite committee, including the ministries of Haj, Interior and Commerce, issue penalties against violating companies but their decisions are not final and are contestable. The law allows the owners of the violating companies to appeal the verdict at the Board of Grievances within 60 days after a decision has been issued. He said the appeals process takes a long time. Al-Khedairi said the emirate's role is to prevent pilgrims from being swindled. He said there are plans underway to plug all the loopholes in the law.
