RIYADH — The Saudi Control and Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha) revealed that it has arrested several people who were accused of various corruption charges. It said that procedures are underway to complete legal procedures against the perpetrators of the crimes. According to Nazaha sources, a notary public was arrested for issuing land titles in an illegal manner and registering part of them in the names of his relatives. The notary public's brother was arrested for the sale of real estate and accepting its value amounting to SR65 million. A major general who retired from the Ministry of Defense and three businessmen were arrested. The retired military official was found accepting a number of bank transfers to his personal account totaling SR613000 and a plot of land valued at SR1.185 million from the businessmen in exchange for facilitating the awarding of contracts to their commercial entities. This illegal transaction was done while the military official was serving as director of operation and maintenance department in one of the Saudi regions. The Nazaha officials arrested a Saudi citizen working for a commercial entity after accepting SR600000 in installments in exchange for awarding projects from the entity where he works to another entity in an illegal manner. An employee working in a medical city affiliated with the Ministry of Health was arrested for accepting SR269179 in exchange for extending the contract of a commercial entity contracting with the ministry for a period of 13 additional months for an amount of SR4 million. The Nazaha team arrested an employee who works as head of the Talented Students Program in the Department of Education for stealing SR790000 allocated to the program. An employee of a mayoralty was arrested for accepting SR62000 in installments from an employee of a commercial entity in exchange for forcing the stores he supervises to contract with the entity. The employee of the commercial entity was also arrested. The director of the students' activity division of the Education Department was caught red handed when receiving SR33000 in exchange for awarding a bid to a commercial entity to provide supplies to the Education Department on the occasion of the celebration of the National Day. An employee working in the same department was also caught red-handed at the moment he received SR1000 in exchange for providing the same entity with the prices offered by the competitors. The Nazaha officials arrested two expatriates working for a commercial entity, which contracted with a municipality to train its employees at a value of SR99375, at the moment when they received SR29000 in exchange for awarding the aforementioned contract to the entity in an illegal manner. An expatriate working for a commercial entity contracting with the Ministry of Education was apprehended at the moment of accepting a payment of SR15000 in exchange for obtaining additional contracts from the ministry in an illegal manner. An employee working in a mayoralty was also arrested for demanding SR20000 from the owner of a gas station in exchange for overlooking violations detected there. Two non-commissioned officers working at a police station were arrested for accepting an amount of SR38600 from the owner of a commercial entity working in the field of security guards in exchange for agreeing to sign illegal contracts. The owner of the establishment was also arrested. An employee working at a police station and a citizen were also arrested after receiving SR100000 in exchange for not deporting an expatriate whose deportation order had previously been issued. An employee working in a branch of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture was caught red-handed when he received SR8000 in exchange for not issuing a fishing violation notice to an expatriate. The Nazaha confirmed that it will continue to monitor and catch anyone who encroaches on public funds or misuse jobs for personal gains or to harm the public interest and hold him accountable even after his relationship with the job ends. It also noted that crimes of financial and administrative corruption do not have a statute of limitations, stressing that it will continue to implement what the law requires against transgressors without any leniency.
