The companies were given 30 days to pay the fine, and the ministry announced that it would publicly disclose the names of companies that fail to comply within the given time.
Ministry of Islamic Affairs has said that only three out of 19 companies fined for violating Umrah pilgrimage regulations have paid their fines so far.
These companies were fined on January 14 for violating Umrah regulations, including a case where a company falsely claimed to have sent pilgrims for Umrah but instead used the funds to purchase dollars.
Minister of Islamic Affairs, Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed, said that only three of the fined companies had settled their fines. The companies were given 30 days to pay the fine, and the ministry announced that it would publicly disclose the names of companies that fail to comply within the given time.
The fines were imposed following an investigation into a case involving Al-Hijra Travels and Tours, which emerged last December. The company admitted to failing to arrange return tickets for pilgrims with the money collected for their trips, instead using the funds for other purposes.
Al-Hijra Group was fined MVR 100,000, and its license was revoked. Additionally, the Ministry decided to prohibit any company with a shareholder involved in Al-Hijra from taking people on future Umrah pilgrimages.
The case involving Al-Hijra has been referred to the police for further investigation.
A case of pilgrims being stranded in Saudi Arabia cropped up last year during Ramadan as well. At the time, it was Al-Mashar Tours that was responsible, and the Maldivian government had to take on the responsibility of bringing the pilgrims back home.
Since then, a criminal investigation was concluded and the case against Mashar Pvt Ltd owner Ali Farish and the company has now been forwarded for prosecution.
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