HAJJ Board Disowns Fraud Man

Zakariah Rahman, a member of the Ghana Hajj Board, currently on Police wanted list over reports he had defrauded unsuspecting pilgrims has been disowned by the Board via an official statement issued over the weekend.

The fraud suspect, Zakariah Rahman, is said to have been coopted into the activities of the Board by the Chairman himself, Sheikh I.C. Quaye to the chagrin of some.

The Board suffered a huge reputation crisis when news went round last week that the same Zakariah   Rahman had become a subject of investigation by both Nima and Airport Police after some persons reported they he had collected various sums of money from them in his capacity as someone working for the Hajj Board. The fraud victims paid the money to Zakariah Rahman in their quest as pilgrims to the holy land of Mecca believing his promise to facilitate their trip.

All other pilgrims have returned from the trip except for those who paid the money to Zakariah Rahman as they are still stuck in Accra listening to sweet excuses from him.

The case was reported to the Nima Police Station and a similar complaint was also filed at the Airport Police against the same suspect.

He is said to have refunded part of the money after the case reached the police but he has since gone missing and failed to refund the full amounts he collected and pocketed.

“The Ghana Hajj Board wish to recall their unambiguous statement on the modalities for the payment of the Hajj package three-pronged arrangement which were through a stated Unibank Hajj account number, accredited Hajj agent or directly at the Hajj Village transactions which generated receipts.

Anybody who dealt with officials of the Hajj Board whose purview excluded such transactions did so at their own risk. It is on this score that we wish to state unequivocally that we have nothing to do with Zak Rahman and others who may find themselves in a similar predicament”, a statement issued by the Board on Saturday and signed by Head of Communications, Alhaji A.R. Gomda noted.

When THE PUBLISHER called Mr. Gomda to ask whether the Board would help the Police smoke out the suspected fraudster, he was sketchy with information.

The statement continued: “The Ghana Hajj Board has observed with consternation a story about an official of their Communications Department’s act of indiscretion regarding monies he allegedly collected from prospective pilgrims with a view to facilitating their trip for the just ended pilgrimage and wish to dissociate themselves from the transaction and the associated negative fallouts.

“The Ghana Hajj Board is a reputable agency which frowns at acts of seeming criminality and would therefore not associate themselves with same.

“The Ghana Hajj Board wish to advise those who have had their fingers burnt through such unauthorized persons to revert to the appropriate state agency for redress as we have nothing to do with same.

“Any official of the board who breached the foregone standards should refund same as we would not cover such persons under any circumstance.”

Source: thePublisher