Khaberni - The Saudi Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority "Nazaha" has initiated 17 criminal cases during the past period, noting that it is still completing the legal procedures against the perpetrators.
The most prominent cases include the arrest of an employee working at the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources in one of the regions, for obtaining an amount of (1.625.000) one million six hundred and twenty-five thousand riyals, in exchange for issuing a quarry license in an illegal manner for a company owned by a resident "foreign investor" (who was arrested).
In the second case, a citizen was caught at the moment of receiving an amount of (85,000) eighty-five thousand riyals out of a total of (110,000) one hundred and ten thousand riyals in exchange for canceling a removal order issued on agricultural land for not having a title deed, and through investigations, it was proven that two employees working in the same region's municipality "were arrested" received financial amounts in exchange for stopping the removal orders.
Meanwhile, an employee working at the municipality of one of the governorates was arrested at the moment of receiving an amount of (195,000) one hundred and ninety-five thousand riyals in exchange for awarding a tender to a commercial entity in an illegal manner.
The authority also arrested the director of a desalination plant in one of the governorates for obtaining an amount of (35,000) thirty-five thousand riyals from one of the commercial entities contracted with the plant in exchange for not monitoring violations by that entity.
The authority also arrested an employee working at the municipality of one of the regions at the moment of receiving an amount of (30,000) thirty thousand riyals out of a total agreed amount of (240,000) two hundred and forty thousand riyals, in exchange for facilitating the procedures for disbursing an amount of (8.303.000) eight million three hundred and three thousand riyals in an illegal manner representing financial dues for a commercial entity.
The authority arrested a non-commissioned officer working at the General Directorate of Civil Defense in one of the regions for obtaining an amount of (10,430) ten thousand four hundred and thirty riyals in exchange for issuing a permit for one of the commercial establishments in an illegal manner, and another employee working at a government hospital in one of the governorates for embezzling an amount of (12,000) twelve thousand riyals belonging to a catering company contracted to provide meals for the hospital.
In the meantime, the authority arrested a non-commissioned officer working at the Ministry of Defense in one of the regions for obtaining financial amounts from citizens in exchange for promising to employ them at the ministry.
Furthermore, the authority arrested an employee working at the emirate of one of the regions for obtaining a financial amount in exchange for facilitating the procedures of a marriage transaction for one of the residents.
The authority also arrested an employee working at the Execution Court in one of the governorates at the moment of receiving a financial amount in exchange for lifting the name of one of the citizens from the service suspension list, as well as arresting an employee working at the Zakat, Tax, and Customs Authority at one of the airports for embezzling a number of customs holdings at his place of work.
Moving on, the authority arrested an employee working at the municipality of one of the governorates for obtaining travel tickets for him and his family members from a resident "who was arrested" working for a company contracted with the municipality in exchange for facilitating the disbursement, along with arresting another employee working at the municipality of one of the regions in the profession of "market inspector" for conducting inspection rounds on a commercial entity and embezzling an amount of (7,500) seven thousand and five hundred riyals and some tobacco products without any legal justification allowing him to do so.
The authority also arrested an employee working at the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development for obtaining a financial amount from one of the commercial entities in exchange for not issuing a regulatory violation against the commercial entity.
The authority also caught a resident working at a health complex in the Ministry of Health in one of the regions at the moment of receiving a financial amount in exchange for promising a person to pass the health specialties licensing examination to obtain a health practice license without his presence at the test.
In its efforts to track down the offenders, Nazaha arrested an employee working at the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah in one of the regions at the moment of receiving a financial amount in exchange for not canceling a permit to operate one of the hotels.
The authority also swept up an employee working at the Saudi Electricity Company in one of the regions at the moment of receiving a financial amount in exchange for unauthorizedly connecting the electric current to one of the sites.
Nazaha confirmed that it continues to monitor and apprehend anyone who infringes on public money or exploits the position for personal benefit or harms the public interest, and to hold them accountable even after their employment relationship ends, as financial and administrative corruption crimes are not subject to the statute of limitations, and the authority is proceeding in applying the system's provisions against the offenders without leniency.
