The head of Al-Mash'ar Hajj and Umrah Group, Ali Farish, has been sentenced to prison after being found guilty of fraud for failing to pay for tickets arranged to take pilgrims to Umrah.

The state charged Farish for failing to settle the return ticket payments of 48 pilgrims booked through Ace Aviation Service Maldives Pvt Ltd and Ace Travel Maldives Pvt Ltd in February 2023.

According to the indictment, three cheques totalling over MVR 960,000 were issued in March 2024. However, due to insufficient funds, the payments were not honoured within the seven-day period granted to him.

The case was filed at the Criminal Court, which ruled that Farish was guilty of deceit. He was sentenced to three years, two months and 12 days in prison. The court also ordered him to pay USD 26,350 (equivalent to MVR 406,321) in damages within 24 months.