Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha) stated that the authority has initiated a number of criminal cases against several citizens and expatriates, including government officials, for their alleged involvement in corruption cases.

Legal procedures have been taken against them after framing 16 corruption cases and catching some of them red-handed, according to an official source at Nazaha.

The following are the 16 major cases that are framed against the officials and employees.

1- Involvement of three citizens who are employees of the Muslim World League (MWL) for accepting an amount of SR5,767,500 from executive director of a commercial entity that had won a project contract from MWL. This is in exchange for their approval of an increase of SR27 million in the value of one of the MWL projects implemented by the entity, and allowing the MWL employees to use the bank accounts of commercial entities belonging to their relatives to receive these funds with the aim of concealing their source.

2- Arrest of a project manager of a major contracting company for accepting an amount of SR1.9 million in installments from a commercial entity, in return for enabling the entity to obtain subcontracts with the company within its existing projects at the Grand Mosque in Makkah and embezzling an amount of SR50 million from the same company in connivance with an expatriate accountant of the company, with being his share of the amount is SR25 million.

3- Arrest of three employees of a bank was made, in cooperation with the Saudi Central Bank, for their involvement in establishing commercial entities and opening bank accounts for use in depositing cash, in return for receiving an amount of SR400 out of every SR100,000 deposited in those accounts.

Four citizens were also arrested for establishing commercial entities and opening bank accounts for use in depositing cash in return for accepting a percentage of those amounts, while four expatriates were detained for collecting and depositing cash in those accounts, where the total amounts that were deposited amounted to SR150 million and these amounts were smuggled out of the Kingdom.

4- A notary was arrested for accepting an amount of SR2.6 million from a businessman, who was also arrested related with illegal issuance of deeds for a total area of land covering more than 40,000 square meters.

5- Arrest of four employees of a university, as well as a citizen and a resident who previously worked at the same university for their involvement in establishing commercial entities, securing projects from the university for an amount of SR10 million and signing work completion certificates in an improper way.

6- A number of the accused were arrested and referred to the competent authorities after detection of practicing fraudulent means in posting advertisements on social media and that was after the inspections carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Health.

These ads included the advertisers’ claim that the health status would be altered to immune in return for a fee. After the search and verification procedures, it was found that 20 citizens and residents were involved in modifying their health status in an irregular way. A number of fraudulent advertisements were also detected and that was resulted in the arrest of those involved in these fraudulent practices.

7- Nazaha has begun legal procedures against a number of citizens and residents for illegal use of electricity of some mosques and this was after detection of the theft in an operation made in cooperation with the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance. Procedures are under way to refer them to the competent authority to take the necessary action against the perpetrators as required by the regulations and instructions.

8- Arrest of an employee of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Haia) as well as a businessman and a resident. According to the charges, the employee obtained an amount of SR126,646 from the businessman in exchange for signing work completion certificates in an improper way.

9- Arrest of two female contractors working for the National Center for Measurement at the Education and Training Evaluation Commission for leaking aptitude and achievement test questions to a number of their relatives.

10- An employee working as a field observer in a branch municipality in one of the regions was arrested for accepting an amount SR264,050 in payments for varying periods, from a number of commercial entities in return for overlooking the violations committed against those entities. Six expatriates, who were accused of making these payments, were also arrested.

11- An expatriate, who was working for one of the companies contracting with the municipality of a region, was caught red-handed while receiving a sum of SR50,000 out of SR80,000, in return for completing the procedures of an existing transaction in the General Administration of Survey at the same municipality.

12- The head of the licensing department in a branch municipality was caught red-handed at the moment of receiving an amount of SR25,000 in return for issuing a municipal license for a hotel illegally.

13- A municipality employee in a governorate caught red-handed while receiving an amount of SR1,500 being the last installment of a sum of SR17,500, in return for completing the procedures for fixing the length of a plot of land in an illegal way so as to enable its owner to obtain compensation for the land, which is located within the boundaries of a project in the governorate.

14- A field observer of a municipality was caught red-handed while receiving an amount of SR10,000 in return for not dismantling a residential building constructed in an illegal way.

15- An employee working for the National Water Company was caught red-handed while asking for an amount of SR5,000 in return for completing the procedures for extending the water network for a citizen.

16- Arrest of an employee in the collection department and a nurse working in a general hospital in a region for accepting sums of money in exchange for allowing a number of residents to benefit from the medical services provided by the hospital in an illegal manner.

Nazaha emphasized that it continues to monitor and catch anyone who embezzles public money or misuses his power and position for personal gains or harms the public interest.

The authority warned that it will hold such persons accountable even after the end of their relationship with the jobs and that crimes of financial and administrative corruption will be dealt with sternly.

The Nazaha is continuing to implement what is required of it as per the law against transgressors without showing any leniency, the statement added.