Saudi Gazette Report

RIYADH — A total of 117 people were arrested for their suspected involvement in commercial cover up (tasattur) crimes in various regions of the Kingdom during the month of April. The suspects were referred to the competent authorities to complete the legal procedures against them.

Inspectors from the National Program to Combat Commercial Concealment, under the Ministry of Commerce, carried out 6,663 inspection tours to combat the commercial cover-up (tasattur) across the Kingdom during the last month after receiving indications of their suspicious involvement in illegal cover-up business.

The inspections covered several restaurants, car services and repair shops, catering, men’s salons, and general contracting and construction offices. During the inspection visits, 117 cases of suspected cover-up were detected, and violators were referred to the competent authorities for verification and the application of statutory penalties against them in the event of being proved charges of violations against them.

Under the Anti-Concealment Law, penalties for the violators include imprisonment for a period of up to five years, a maximum fine of SR5 million, and seizure and confiscation of illegal proceeds from the cover-up business after the issuance of final judicial rulings against the suspects.

The penalties prescribed by the law also include closing the establishment, liquidating the activity, writing off the commercial register, preventing the practice of commercial activity, collecting zakat, fees and taxes, defamation, deporting those who concealed themselves from Saudi Arabia and not allowing them to come back to the Kingdom on job visas.