Visa delay stalls maid abuse probe

JAKARTA: A team appointed to investigate the recent case of maid abuse in Saudi Arabia is unable to start its job because visas have not yet been issued by the Saudi Arabia administration, a high-ranking official says.

“I haven’t received a visa yet and that is why the team hasn’t begun investigating this case,” Woman’s Empowerment Minister Linda Amalia Sari said, as quoted by kompas.com news portal on Sunday.

She said that unlike ministry officials, whose visas are granted by the Saudi Arabian Embassy here, a visa for a minister is issued by the Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry.

“I’ve been informed that the officials there are not on duty due to national holidays. Thus, we need to wait,” she said.

A team comprising three ministers has been organized to investigate the abuse that resulted in severe injuries to Indonesian maid Sumiati, who has been hospitalized at King Fahd Hospital. — JP