RIYADH — The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has denied accusations by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (Nazaha) that it had committed violations while appointing qualified personnel to ad hoc positions. While investigating social media claims that the appointment of a son of the civil service minister in the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs violated rules, Nazaha said it uncovered irregularities in hiring in 10 other ministries. "We were totally committed to the rules and regulations of hiring people to carry out certain ad hoc tasks, especially with regard to their salaries, qualifications and experience," the ministry said in a statement. The other ministries accused by Nazaha of violations and irregularities have so far been silent. The ministry said all six employees it had contracted were holders of bachelor's or PhD degree holders in scientific subjects related to its specialization and each one of them had at least 25 years' experience. "These employees were contracted to do certain jobs, which did not extend beyond three months in most cases," it said. The ministry said four of the temporarily contracted employees have left after completing their assignments. "Only two of them are still on the job," it added. The ministry also said it had liaised with the Ministry of Civil Service and obtained its approval regarding their monthly salaries, which never exceeded the highest ceiling for contract employees. "The salaries of some of them never reached a quarter of this ceiling," it added. The ministry, however, made it clear that it was not finding fault with the commission, which might have some observations. "We will coordinate with Nazaha if there are still some irregularities so as to rectify them," the ministry said.
