By Adnan Al-Shabrawi

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — The appeals court has upheld a ruling issued by the Administrative Court in Jeddah asking the Ministry of Health to pay SR28 million in outstanding dues in rent to a landlord.

The case was going back and forth between courts for the past 50 months before the Court of Appeals in Jeddah finally issued its verdict.

The Health Affairs had rented a building in north Jeddah at an annual rent of SR7 million and turned it into a preventive medicine facility.

The building was designed as a private hospital before it was taken over by the ministry.

According to court sources, the ministry stopped paying the annual rent four years ago on the ground that the rent was too high.

The Ministry of Finance estimated the annual rent to be SR5.3 million but the landlord refused this evaluation and said the ministry should honor the contract it had signed with him.

The lower court refused to accept the evaluation of the Finance Ministry as it was contrary to the agreement signed by the two parties.

The Health Affairs objected to the ruling of the Administrative Court but the Court of Appeals upheld it after protracted deliberations.