A member of the former Hajj Board under the Mahama administration has dismissed claims by the current Board that they left behind a $30million debt.
MP for Tamale North Alhassan Suhuyini in defence of the former Board said, it's not true they accrued that amount in debt before handing over.
The current Hajj Board is accusing the former managers of incurring the debt, which now hinders the smooth operation of the impending Hajj pilgrimage. The Board chairman Sheikh I.C Quaye in a radio interview attributed the debt to long protocol lists during the tenure of the former board and failure to settle air fares of those on the list.
He said the new board had to negotiate with Saudi Arabia airlines and other service providers for the payment of the debt before it could make arrangements for the 2017 Hajj pilgrimage.
But the Tamale North MP said it cannot be true that they left behind a debt. He explained that the current government has subsidized the Hajj pilgrimage and given potential pilgrims a lower exchange rate, placing a lot of strain on the government to cater for the rest of the fees.
He called on government to honour the pledge of a smooth Hajj pilgrimage this year instead of lamenting.