HAAB yet to refund Tk 17cr to govt

প্রকাশিত: 22 May 2016, 7:30:11 pm

The Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB) is yet to refund Tk 16.68 crore out of the total of Tk 33.38 crore it borrowed from the government to deposit fees for sending extra 5,000 pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for performing Hajj last year.

Although the HAAB submitted an expenditure statement to the religious affairs ministry, the ministry did not accept the statement as huge anomalies were found in it, according to ministry sources.

The ministry is examining the statement through a committee headed by its joint secretary in a bid to realise the rest of the amount of the public money from HAAB, the sources said.

The sources also said the ministry will take final steps to realise the money from the HAAB and it is also planning to go for legal action against the HAAB office-bearers involved in misappropriation of the public fund.

The parliamentary standing committee on religious affairs ministry has also recommended that the government take steps against HAAB leaders involved in misuse of the public fund.

Acting secretary of the ministry Abdul Jalil said a high-level committee of the ministry is examining the financial statement submitted by the HAAB. After getting report, the ministry will take necessary action.

“The ministry will take all necessary measures to realise the money from the HABB. None involved in the misuse of the government fund will be spared,” he said.

On the other hand, HAAB officials said they have already submitted a financial statement to the ministry, also claiming that they refunded the rest of the money after necessary expenditure for the for last year’s Hajj pilgrims.

Ministry sources said out of Tk 33.38 crore borrowed from the government to deposit fees for extra 5,000 pilgrims, HAAB leaders refunded only Tk 16.68 crore in the last eight months after Hajj.

The HAAB submitted a statement of total expenditure of Tk 27.33 crore, including the refunded amount, to the ministry. But they did not give details of the rest Tk 6.05 crore.

HAAB in its statement claimed that it has refunded around Tk 10.67 crore to the Hajj agencies that have deposited as Moyallem fees and other expenditures against their pilgrims during the registration process and at the same time, they have refunded Tk1 6.68 crore to the government, they said.