In an unprecedented move against corruption, the Saudi Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha) has unleashed a wave of arrests, exposing a tangled network of illicit activities spanning various sectors.
A former head of notary and his sibling have been apprehended for exploiting vast expanses of state-owned land, pocketing an illegal fortune of SR148 million from their sale.
This particular case entangles a former judge and two accomplices who received SR10.25 million and SR5 million, respectively, for their roles in the elaborate scheme.
Another significant arrest involves a former municipal employee accused of accepting SR63 million from commercial entities. In return, the employee issued 299 unauthorized supply orders, resulting in transactions exceeding SR171 million.
The crackdown has brought to light a broader pattern of bribery and corruption permeating through different segments of society.
In a separate case, the head of a notary in another region was arrested for employing forged documents to seize and sell three land plots, totaling SR1.2 million.
Simultaneously, an employee in a different region leveraged a commercial entity to irregularly award 16 projects, personally gaining over SR2.65 million.
The operation also uncovered embezzlement within the General Directorate of Prisons, implicating a major and an employee who misappropriated SR2.89 million from the inmates’ and sustenance fund.
Law enforcement faced its own stain, with a police station employee arrested for pilfering SR1.93 million from the station’s safe. In a related incident, a citizen was apprehended for attempting to bribe a security officer with SR100,000 to secure the release of a detained resident.
Even the Ministry of Defense witnessed corruption within its ranks, with a non-commissioned officer caught receiving SR57,000 in a fuel sale fraud. A colonel was also arrested for related offenses.
The health care sector was not immune, as a veterinarian employed by the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture manipulated tender processes for personal gain. This involved tampering with a pharmacy bid for medical supplies.
The traffic department faced its own scandal, with an employee charged with illegally transferring and selling a vehicle for SR165,000. Simultaneously, an employee at a university was arrested for stealing and selling computers from an engineering lab.
Numerous residents were also ensnared in bribery and corruption acts, ranging from offering money for unauthorized services to facilitating the illegal exit of goods from a university warehouse. The amounts involved in these cases ranged from a few thousand to hundreds of thousands of riyals.
The head of the Environmental Health Department in a municipal office was arrested for irregular licensing practices, underscoring the pervasive nature of the corruption addressed in this sweeping campaign.
A spokesperson emphasized the unwavering commitment of the authority to eradicate corruption. Financial and administrative corruption crimes will be pursued and prosecuted rigorously, without leniency, as the authority remains resolute in its mission.
