Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s Control and Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha) has arrested 17 government officials from various ministries and agencies in a significant nationwide crackdown on corruption.
According to local media, the arrested officials face serious charges including bribery, abuse of power, and embezzlement of public funds.
In a statement, Nazaha detailed several of the cases. In one high-profile instance, an official from the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources allegedly accepted a massive bribe of 1.6 million Saudi riyals to illegally issue a crusher license to a foreign investor’s company.
In another case, a Saudi citizen was arrested for receiving 85,000 riyals, which was part of a larger 110,000 riyal bribe, to cancel a demolition order against an agricultural property that lacked ownership documents. Two municipal employees were also detained in connection with the same bribe.
Furthermore, an employee at a governorate municipality was arrested for allegedly taking 195,000 riyals in exchange for illegally awarding a contract to a commercial entity.
A case involving human exploitation was also uncovered at the Ministry of Defense, where an officer was arrested for allegedly taking money from women with false promises of employment.
Nazaha also reported that an official from the Zakat, Tax, and Customs Authority was detained at an airport following the discovery of multiple customs violations. The authority reaffirmed its mission to combat corruption, warning that anyone who uses a public position for personal gain will be held accountable, even after they have left their post.
