Abdul Rahman Al-Ali Saudi Gazette JEDDAH – A former Jeddah mayor has once again denied taking kickbacks in exchange for licenses to construct properties at the bottom of valleys, the Jeddah Administrative Court heard on Tuesday. He is accused of involvement in accepting or offering bribes along with two real estate businessmen and a former deputy mayor. The former mayor was accused of taking SR5 million in bribes from one of the businessmen in exchange for construction licenses for several lands located at the bottom of a valley that was among the areas worst hit by the 2009 Jeddah floods. The prosecutor charged the former mayor with issuing construction licenses in these dangerous areas, adding it was a decision that caused a lot of damage to public and private properties when the floods hit Jeddah. The defendant told the judge that he did not issue any construction licenses to any citizen while his lawyers told the court that the charges were not accurate and the areas where the buildings were constructed were not located in any natural flood drainage channels. The lawyers submitted draft site plans and documents issued by the Saudi Geological Survey as evidence. The businessman accused of bribing the former mayor said he did not pay any kickbacks and that his initial confession was made under duress. He told the court that the former mayor bought some shares in his company and the SR5 million represented his dividends. The second businessman, who could not appear before the court due to heart problems and who is also involved in another corruption case, was accused of mediating the meeting between the former mayor and the first businessman. He was also accused of paying part of the SR5 million bribe to the former mayor. The former deputy mayor was accused of abusing his powers as a government official. The judge decided to adjourn the case to next month. Meanwhile, the public prosecutor accused a retired undersecretary of an ex-Jeddah mayor of misusing power for personal gain. “The defendant has violated formal instructions preventing buildings from being built at the bottoms of valleys,” the prosecutor told the administrative court on Tuesday. He said the defendant wrote a formal letter to his director asking him to allow the construction of concrete tunnels at the southwest Faraj Al-Massad land plot. He added: “The director forwarded the request to the former mayor who readily approved the proposal. “Subsequently, pieces of land were allotted to citizens in that plot. “Huge human and material losses were incurred as a result of this during the floods and rains that hit Jeddah in 2009.” The defendant replied that the licenses for the construction of buildings at the Faraj Al-Massad plot were granted in 1978, while he joined the municipality in 1981. He told the court: “At that time I was an employee at the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs so I had no hand in buildings at the bottom of the valleys.” The defendant accused the prosecutor of making contradictory statements. He said: “The attorney general first said I wrote a letter to my director asking him to release the pieces of land at the Al-Massad plot then said it was a study letter, while I only forwarded to my director an idea for the establishment of concrete tunnels southwest of the plot to protect it against rainwater and floods.” The defendant said as a usual procedure, the director would evaluate the idea before commissioning an in-depth study. He added: “The attorney general thought my idea was a detailed study, which is not correct.” The accused also refuted claims that he was not a member of the committee to deal with the effects of the rains and floods. He added: “This is incorrect. I was a member of the committee to deal with the problem of water at a number of critical points in Jeddah.” The defendant submitted to the judge Saad Al-Maliki a seven-page memorandum refuting all claims against him by the attorney general along with nine attachments proving his innocence. The judge called a recess until Dec. 8.
