JEDDAH – The Directorate General of Passports (Jawazat) has issued 37 administrative decisions taking penal action against people involved in giving transportation, shelter, coverup and jobs for illegal expatriates, including infiltrators. The penalties included jail terms, fines, naming and shaming and confiscation of vehicles. Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, deputy premier and minister of interior, has endorsed the penalties for 47 violators, including 46 Saudis and one Yemeni national, the Saudi Press Agency reported. Most of the violators were Saudi citizens who tried to smuggle illegal residents into Makkah. They included Ibrahim Hassan Abu Sharha, who was sentenced to two years in jail and a fine of SR230,000; Ibrahim Ahmad Al-Zubaidi, who received two years in prison and a fine of SR190,000; and Abdullah Ahmad Al-Alawi, who was jailed for two years and fined SR170,000. All of them had their names publicized in local newspapers. The directorate urged citizens not to give jobs, shelter, cover up or transport any illegal residents or infiltrators. It warned violators of stringent punishments.
