Seeks reply from deputy attorney general within 10 days. PHOTO: AFP
The Supreme Court reprimanded the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Friday for failing to secure the arrest and deportation of a Hajj scam suspect in Saudi Arabia, warning that government functionaries would face contempt proceedings if the suspect isn’t arrested soon.
“It seems the government is protecting the culprit,” said the two-judge bench of the apex court hearing the 2010 Hajj scam case. The bench, headed by Justice Jawwad S Khawaja, raised questions over the government’s inability to lay its hands on Ahmed Faiz, a building supervisor, who is allegedly hiding in Saudi Arabia.
It also directed Deputy Attorney General Sohail Mahmood to submit a reply within 10 days about the implementation of its December 6, 2013 judgment on the case.
During the hearing, the deputy attorney general submitted an FIA report about the implementation of the court ruling.
“All the accused involved have been arrested except Ahmad Faiz (a private person). He could not be arrested so far, despite three visits of the investigation team to Saudi Arabia,” said the report, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune.
Investigating Officer Hussain Asghar on October 24, 2012 had told the top court that Riyadh was unwilling to help in the probe because some Saudi nationals were also involved in the 2010 scam
A report claimed the FIA team had done its best to trace the suspect but sources in Saudi Arabia confirmed that Faiz was being sheltered and harboured by influential persons of Saudi origin.
“A notice has been published in Urdu-language newspapers in Saudi Arabia through the ministry of religious affairs for tracing the accused/proclaimed offender, Ahmed Faiz, offering a reward of Rs1 million for providing any information leading to the suspect’s arrest,” it said.
The FIA report said Faiz was declared a proclaimed offender and a challan had been submitted against him. His Interpol red notice had also been issued and efforts were being made through Interpol, intelligence agencies and diplomatic channels to secure his deportation.
During the course of inquiry conducted by the FIA, it came to the fore that out of 631 Hajj Group Organisations (HGO), 33 HGOs charged an extra amount of Rs5,000 from each Haji in the name of Hajj compensation amount fund, guarantee or security etc, the report said.
“The total number of Hujjaj pertaining to these 33 HGOs comes to 4,480 and the amount involved is Rs22,40,000. So far, out of the 33 HGOs, 9 HGOs have returned the extra-charged amount to the pilgrims and have submitted their affidavits in this regard,” it said.
The report said the FIA urged the ministry of religious affairs to take action against the remaining HGOs, which were reluctant to pay back the extra charge amount to the pilgrims.
In response to the FIA letter, the ministry of religious affairs on March 31 had constituted a Complaint Disposal Committee (CDC) to discuss the issue of 33 HGOs, it added.
Meanwhile, the ministry of religious affairs has said the CDC had awarded a fine to the HGOs for not paying back the amount to the pilgrims.
The hearing of the case is adjourned for 10 days.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 31st, 2014.
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