ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Friday issued its verdict in the Hajj corruption case and ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to initiate proceedings against the influential persons including politicians and bureaucrats who created hurdles in the investigation of the case.
A three-member bench of apex court headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and comprising Justice Jawwad S Khwaja and Justice Ameer Hani heard the suo motu case regarding the alleged corruption in Hajj arrangements in 2010.
In its order, the apex court instructed the FIA to take action against the politicians and other notable persons who tried to influence the probe in the Hajj corruption case.
The verdict further said that exorbitant amount was charged from the poor pilgrims that brought bad name to the country. Therefore, the bench ordered to collect the excessive amount that was collected by the hajj tour operators for the services during the pilgrimage and return it to the pilgrims.
It may be mentioned that the tour operators collected Rs4.2 million from the pilgrims.
