Integrity Commission reveals details of 11 corruption and bribery cases involving millions

The Saudi Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha) announced that it has initiated a number of new criminal cases, revealing details of 11 cases involving government employees, residents, and businessmen, including crimes of bribery, embezzlement, abuse of official influence, and forgery.

The fight against corruption: a key pillar of Vision 2030

These preemptive strikes come within the framework of the Kingdom's ongoing efforts to promote the principles of transparency and integrity, which are a cornerstone of Vision 2030. These continuous campaigns aim to protect public funds and create a safe and fair investment environment free from irregular practices that could hinder economic development. These cases underscore the Saudi leadership's commitment to a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption, regardless of its source.

Details of the seized criminal cases

The official spokesperson for the authority explained that the cases that were handled varied in their methods and the entities targeted, and the most prominent of them were as follows:

• Cases in cooperation with the Public Investment Fund: A project manager at an entity affiliated with the Fund was suspended for receiving a bribe exceeding two million riyals in exchange for awarding subcontracts and projects.
• Corruption in the health sector: A huge bribery case was uncovered in the health affairs department of one of the regions, where an employee was arrested while receiving 500,000 riyals as part of an agreed amount of 10 million riyals, to pass projects worth more than 384 million riyals, and senior officials in engineering affairs were involved in the case.
• Civil status manipulation: Three employees suspended for receiving 850,000 riyals in exchange for registering births and issuing IDs through irregular means.
• Security and municipal embezzlements: The cases included the arrest of a retired non-commissioned officer for embezzling more than two million riyals from criminal seizures, in addition to bribery cases in the governorate secretariats to pass land licenses and building projects.
• Other cases included: abuse of power to employ relatives without attendance (fake employment), manipulation of agricultural subsidies, and extortion of commercial entities by a Civil Defense official.

The importance of oversight and its economic impact

The continued efforts of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (Nazaha) to uncover such cases reflect the strength of the Kingdom's oversight system and directly contribute to improving the efficiency of government spending and preventing financial waste. Furthermore, pursuing those involved, even after their employment has ended, sends a firm message that corruption crimes do not have a statute of limitations, thus strengthening the confidence of citizens and investors in the rule of law.

The official spokesperson concluded his statement by emphasizing that the Authority is committed to monitoring and apprehending anyone who misappropriates public funds or exploits their position for personal gain, stressing that the system will be applied to violators without leniency.