SEREMBAN: A 60-year-old man and his wife were charged at the Sessions Court here today with conducting haj package business transactions worth RM81,000 without a valid licence to operate as haj pilgrimage organisers.

Mhd Lihan Sabari and Noor Nisrin Mahlim, 58, pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read to them before Judge Mohamad Kamil Nizam.

According to the charge sheet, the couple arranged travel to the Holy Land for the haj pilgrimage and received RM81,000 from Sharifah Nura Syed Edros, despite not holding a valid haj organiser licence.

They were charged with committing the offence at a bank along Jalan Besar, Kawasan Hijau, Mantin near Nilai, between Feb 4 and April 7.

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They were charged under Section 27(1)(a) of the Tabung Haji Act 1955, punishable under Section 27(2)(a) of the same Act, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code.

Deputy public prosecutor Syamimi Farhana Muhammad A Aziz proposed bail of RM20,000 for each accused, with one surety, and requested that their passports be surrendered to the court until the case is concluded.

Mohd Razak Sharif, who represented both of the accused, appealed for a lower bail amount, citing that Mhd Lihan is an oil palm smallholder earning RM2,500 to RM3,000 a month, while Noor Nisrin is unemployed.

He added that the couple also runs free Islamic classes in Batu Pahat, Johor, bearing the operational costs themselves, in addition to supporting three other children.

The court then set bail at RM12,000 each and imposed additional conditions: both must report to the police monthly, surrender their passports, and refrain from contacting prosecution witnesses.

The case has been fixed for mention on Aug 11.

Previously, it was reported that a group of 47 Malaysian pilgrims were unable to fulfil their haj pilgrimage after allegedly falling victim to a scam by a local haj agent, believed to involve a prominent religious figure.

A victim's child claimed their parents and aunt, who departed for Saudi Arabia on May 9 with the agent, were forced to walk through dangerous routes from Jeddah to Makkah without proper documentation, food, or water.

It is believed the group did so to avoid detection by Saudi authorities amid strict enforcement against pilgrims without haj visas.

Victims also alleged they were confined in cramped hotel rooms.