Pilgrims seek ACC aid probing Hajj corruption

A Maldivian pilgrim has decided to lodge a complaint with the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) seeking an investigation on potential corruption in this year's Hajj operations.

The pilgrim, Mohamed Nizam, allege corruption involving their agents responsible for Hajj arrangements. He claimed the services they received fell short of what they paid.

In a post on Facebook, the pilgrim while assuring he completed this year's pilgrimage highlighted areas that need improvement next year.

While praising the overall services of the helpers and Hajj arrangements, Nizam said pilgrims wasted time and energy at times over the loss of command and control from the organizers.

He said the management made blunders they should not have made.

Nizam said Hajj Corporation needed a capable and experienced management to rectify these issues.

The pilgrim also said helpers should possess adequate Islamic knowledge and decently fluent in Arabic. He added the helpers should also possess knowledge of basic software applications such as Google Maps, and know the bus and travel routes.

He noted the importance of appointing a management that would alleviate future accusations of corruption against Hajj Corporation.

Nizam said that pilgrims who pay close to MVR 85,000 deserve services on par with it.

He claimed that Maldivian and Sri Lankan pilgrims were crammed into a single tent, and added the services they received at Mina was "of zero rate".

"They made 500 people lodge in a tent with a capacity of 300 only. The place felt like an oven due to excessive heat, while some of us had slept at a nearby mosque. The food provided to us on the first two days were 'foreign' (of low quality), while most of the elderly pilgrims did not eat, and when they did provide food, it took them quite long to do so," Nizam said.

Claiming the agent had been culpable in a corruption, Nizam said he has decided to file a formal complaint with ACC seeking an investigation.

While stressing preparations for lodging at Mina should be made ahead, Nizam said it was important Hajj Corporation staff and helpers respect Saudi's laws and regulations.

He added none of the leaders assigned to the pilgrim congegration had visited to check up on them during their stay in Saudi Arabia.

The allegation of corruption by a pilgrim had come after the Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr. Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed claimed this year's Hajj operations had been a success.