The audit of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony (MORA) has brought to light significant financial irregularities and embezzlement incidents during the fiscal years 2018 to 2021, specifically in the operations of the Directorate General Hajj, Jeddah. The audit report for the year 2023–2024 identifies multiple cases of financial misappropriation, primarily involving a single official, Mr. Muhammad Kaleem, the then Assistant Accounts Officer (AAO). These irregularities have led to a total loss of over Rs. 44 million to the public exchequer, spread across four major instances of embezzlement.
The first instance, highlighted under Para 6.4.1, details an embezzlement of Rs. 12 million in remittances. The funds, remitted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the month of June 2021, were credited to the official bank account of the Directorate General Hajj but were never recorded in the cash accounts. Instead, the entire amount was transferred by Mr. Kaleem to another bank account and subsequently to his personal account. To conceal this action, the official also manipulated bank statements.
The second instance, reported under Para 6.4.3, involves embezzlement of Rs. 7.82 million from the Pilgrim Welfare Fund (PWF). This amount was refunded by a catering company due to under-served meals and was deposited into the PWF account. However, the same amount was misappropriated by Mr. Kaleem by tampering with receipt entries and adjusting the amount using various fabricated entries such as fake recoveries from cash in chest, wheelchairs, auction proceeds, and unidentified cash. The Directorate General’s audit view confirms that these actions resulted in direct financial loss.
In the third case, described in Para 6.4.4, Rs. 3.465 million received as a refund from a Madina accommodation provider was recorded as closing balance in March 2019 but was not carried forward to the next month. There was no evidence of the amount being spent or deposited, clearly indicating misappropriation. The audit again traced the responsibility back to Mr. Kaleem and recommended the inclusion of this case in ongoing disciplinary proceedings.
The fourth and largest embezzlement, listed in Para 6.4.2, reveals a misappropriation of Rs. 21.141 million. This amount, deducted as food charges from Moavineen (volunteers), was never properly accounted for. This loss again pointed to the actions of Mr. Kaleem, suggesting a pattern of deliberate financial misconduct.
Throughout the audit process, the management maintained that necessary disciplinary and legal actions had been initiated. These include lodging of FIRs, initiation of inquiries, and contacting the relevant revenue authorities for the attachment of the involved official’s properties. However, progress remained slow and unsatisfactory according to the audit’s findings, prompting the Departmental Accounts Committee (DAC) to take a stronger stance.
