A pilgrim has decided to lodge a complaint with the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) alleging corruption in the management of Maldivians who went to perform the Hajj pilgrimage this year.
Mohamed Nizam, a pilgrim from this year’s Hajj, shared his experience on Facebook and wrote about matters that need improvement. Alleging corruption by the Hajj Corporation in providing services, Nizam said he intends to submit a case to the ACC.
The service was not proportionate to the price charged for taking pilgrims to the Hajj, he said, accusing the Hajj Corporation of treating pilgrims inhumanely. Some Maldivians went to mosques to sleep because their tent was too hot with 500 people kept in a space with the capacity for 300 people, he said.
Maldivian pilgrims also shared a tent and the same agent with Sri Lankans who paid less, Nizam noted.
A photo shared by a pilgrim to show the condition of this year’s pilgrims.
Several elderly pilgrims did not eat during the first two days because “Bangaalhee” (Bangladeshi) food was served, according to Nizam. There were also delays in serving food, he said.
“Therefore, it is alleged that a service proportional to the money taken from pilgrims could not be provided because of acts of corruption carried out together with the agent. I intend to submit this to ACC for an investigation. And because pilgrims were treated inhumanely, I intend to submit it to the Majlis and HRCM [Human Rights Commission of Maldives] to look into it and take action,” Nizam said.
Hajj Corporation Managing Director Mohamed Shakeel responded to the allegations in a comment on Nizam’s post.
The allegations were prompted by the Hajj Corporation’s refusal to allow Nizam and his wife to accompany his father on the pilgrimage as helpers from the corporation, which would have been against the rules, Shakeel alleged.
As the Hajj Corporation’s helpers or assistants travel to serve all pilgrims, allowing a helper to travel and serve only a particular person would have compromised the service, Shakeel said.
“When Nizam contacted me to apply for a bid announced by the Hajj Corporation, I told him that was an open bid and opposed corruption,” Shakeel added.
Shakeel urged Nizam to repent and apologise to the public for making false claims with various accusations against the corporation’s management while performing the Hajj in the place of his father. Shakeel added that he has a screenshot of Nizam’s post.
