RIYADH — An official source in the Public Prosecution revealed that an African expatriate was convicted of a money laundering crime for attempting to smuggle about $297,000 and SR5,000 out of Saudi Arabia. The source said that the African expatriate was trying to smuggle this amount of money out of the Kingdom through Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International Airport. After carrying out the investigation procedures, it was found that the accused had hidden the money in his bag inside dates' cartons, the source said. The source indicated that the sums that were seized from the accused were found to have been obtained from several practices in violation of a number of regulations. The source confirmed that a general criminal case was filed against the African expatriate before the competent court on charges of money laundering for attempting to smuggle money out of Saudi Arabia. Several judgments have been issued against the accused, including the issuance of a preliminary judgment that includes the conviction of what was attributed to him. The seized amounts were also confiscated from the accused, in addition to his imprisonment for two years. He will be deported from Saudi Arabia after serving his sentence. It is noteworthy that the Public Prosecution submitted an objection to the verdict, requesting that the penalty imposed on the accused was too light. The Public Prosecution has warned anyone who tries to harm the financial system and the economy in Saudi Arabia, confirming that it will refer them to the competent court to demand severe penalties in this regard.
