Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Saudi Arabia's Control and Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha) has initiated a total of 127 cases this month, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday, citing an official source at the Authority.

The source provided details of the most prominent cases which are as follows:

1. In cooperation with the Presidency of State Security, Capital Market Authority and the General Organization for Social Insurance, 14 people were caught in illegal acts.

The people involved in the crime included the chairman of the board of directors of one of the companies in which the government invests part of its capital, and the vice president and the CEO, and a number of its board members, and a member of the company's audit committee, also five employees of a company owned by the chairman of the board of directors.

They are accused of forgery, money laundering, fiddling the books of the company and establishing companies for the purpose of circumventing the corporate system to enable its CEO to purchase more than 10 percent of the shares of another company listed in the financial market with a value of SR200 million in order to influence the decisions of the board of directors of the two companies to achieve personal interests.

They were investigated with and the required procedures are being carried out to refer them to the competent court.

2. A businessman obtained a sum of SR6 million in exchange for his mediation for a company to obtain a contract with a government entity in an illegal manner (bribery). The regulatory procedures are underway in this case.

3. In cooperation with Riyadh police, eight people were arrested, including three expatriates working for a company affiliated with a telecom company who illegally sold SIM cards, which may be used in criminal and trading activities, and may be used in money-laundering processes. Their referral is underway to the competent court.

4. Companies in a number of regions of the Kingdom have registered employees of their companies who are not entitled to government support (Saned) with an intention to manipulate the regulations. Their referral is underway to the competent court.

5. The director of traffic police in a governorate with the rank of lieutenant colonel obtained a vehicle as a bribe from a property owner who leased a real state to the traffic police in the same governorate in exchange for renewing the lease contract. His referral is underway to the competent court following the regulatory procedures.

6. The head of one of the municipalities in Riyadh region has concluded contracts in his name personally with one of the companies and has taken a percentage of their profits in return for services offered to them, abusing his position. His referral is underway to the competent court.

7. An employee at the ninth rank in one of the universities exploited his position in changing the specializations of some university students in an irregular manner (bribery). The regulatory procedures are underway for a referral to the competent court.

The Authority affirms on the continuation to pursue anyone who exploits the public office to achieve personal gain or harm the public interest in any way possible, and that it is continuing to hold the negligent parties accountable and apply what the law rules against them.

The Authority also appreciates the efforts of government entities in fighting financial and administrative corruption and the development of policies and procedures that promotes speedy decision while closing all inlets of corruption.

The Authority commends the cooperation of everyone in reporting through its available channels to receive reports, including the toll-free number (980) for any practices involving financial or administrative corruption that would undermine the efforts of the government to support and promote the path of comprehensive development.

The Authority also extends its thanks and appreciation to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman for their unlimited support to the Authority in order to exercise its power and perform its tasks in fighting financial and administrative corruption in all its forms and manifestations.