MAKKAH — Around 300 well-off citizens have cheated Al-Bir Charity Organization by posing as poor people to obtain financial assistance, the organization's chairman Tariq Bin Saleh Jamal has claimed. He told a press conference on Saturday that the swindlers included a woman who has two housemaids and three private drivers. “Despite her obvious wealth, this woman did not shy away from asking the organization for financial assistance,” he said. Jamal said in addition to its assistance to the poor and needy, the organization also provides easy annual loans of about SR15,000 for government employees. “The loans are to be given under the guarantee of the ministry or the government department and repaid in monthly installments,” he added. Jamal said the organization pays annual compensation of SR20,000-SR25,000 to families who were living in its endowment buildings but forced to leave because of demolition work caused by ongoing expansion projects in Makkah. Jamal criticized security forces in Makkah for not cooperating with the organization in detaining mentally ill citizens who did not adhere to the accommodation regulations in its charity buildings. “We have informed the security forces about several cases but they did not respond to our calls,” he said. The organization will honor a number of its male and female orphan students for their outstanding performance during the academic year 2014-2015. It will hold a special function for the occasion on April 30. Imam of the Grand Mosque Sheikh Saleh Bin Abdullah Bin Humaid will preside over the function, which will be attended by a number of senior government officials. Jamal said the organization is determined to hold this function every year to support and encourage the orphan students it is sponsoring.
