Saudi Arabia Underscores its Continued Efforts to Resolve Sudan Crisis

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the cabinet meeting that was held in Jeddah. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the cabinet meeting that was held in Jeddah. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia Underscores its Continued Efforts to Resolve Sudan Crisis

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the cabinet meeting that was held in Jeddah. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the cabinet meeting that was held in Jeddah. (SPA)

The Saudi government underscored on Tuesday its ongoing efforts to resolve the crisis in Sudan and restore security and stability in the country.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chaired the cabinet meeting that was held in Jeddah.

The government welcomed the outcomes of the second consultative meeting on boosting coordination on initiatives and peace efforts in Sudan.

The cabinet added that Saudi Arabia will continue to stand by Yemen and its people and encourage de-escalation efforts and preserve calm, hoping that this would pave the way for a comprehensive political solution under the UN-sponsored roadmap.

The ministers reviewed the contacts Saudi Arabia held over the past week with world countries with the aim of developing relations and cooperation in various fields.

The cabinet reviewed several periodic performance reports on the programs of the Saudi Vision 2030, whose many goals have already been realized.

It commended the swift advancement of housing and health sector transformation programs, notably in increasing homeownership rates among Saudi families, delivering thousands of housing units to developmental housing beneficiaries, and improving healthcare accessibility, quality, and life expectancy through efforts dedicated to public health and community vitality.

The cabinet discussed the Kingdom's high rankings in labor-market indicators issued by the World Economic Forum (WEF), highlighting the record-breaking increase in Saudis employed in the private sector. The number of Saudi workers in the private sector rose from 1.7 million in 2019 to over 2.3 million in 2024, while the unemployment rate decreased to 6.7% in the first quarter of 2024.

Moreover, the cabinet discussed the submission to FIFA of Saudi Arabia's bid to host the 2034 World Cup, reiterating the Kingdom's commitment to delivering an exceptional edition of the tournament.

It also praised UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee to add the "Cultural Landscape of Al-Faw Archaeological Area" in the Riyadh region to the World Heritage List. This is the eighth site in Saudi Arabia to be listed, achieving one of the goals of the Vision 2030.

It reviewed the outcomes of the Kingdom’s participation in the meetings held under the Group of Twenty (G20) framework, which highlighted its efforts and initiatives supporting the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs), continued economic progress, and the enhancement of global responses to humanitarian issues.

Reviewing the outcomes of the second Baghdad International Regional Conference on Combating Drugs, the Cabinet underlined the Kingdom's commitment to reinforcing international cooperation in this area and highlighted the success of the security campaign in confronting the threat of drugs and related crimes.



Saudi Arabia: Former Public Security Director Convicted of Corruption

The ministry affirmed the Saudi government’s commitment to protecting public funds and combating corruption in all its forms. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The ministry affirmed the Saudi government’s commitment to protecting public funds and combating corruption in all its forms. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia: Former Public Security Director Convicted of Corruption

The ministry affirmed the Saudi government’s commitment to protecting public funds and combating corruption in all its forms. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The ministry affirmed the Saudi government’s commitment to protecting public funds and combating corruption in all its forms. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Saudi Ministry of Interior announced on Friday that a final ruling had been issued confirming the conviction of former Public Security Director General Lt. Gen. Khaled bin Qarar Al-Harbi for crimes including bribery, forgery, and abuse of power. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison, fined one million Saudi riyals, and ordered to return embezzled funds.

The ministry’s statement pointed to a royal order to terminate Al-Harbi’s service, retire him, and investigate him for numerous violations aimed at seizing public funds and personal gain. He was charged with several crimes, including forgery, bribery, and abuse of power. The Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority began investigating the former official and referred him to the appropriate court under the criminal procedures system.

A final ruling was issued against Al-Harbi, confirming his guilt on two counts: bribery and forgery. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined one million riyals, to be deposited into the state treasury.

He was also convicted of exploiting his official position for personal benefit, involvement in government contracts, and embezzling public funds. For these crimes, he received an additional 10-year prison sentence, and the bribes he received, totaling SAR10,084,303, were confiscated and deposited into the treasury.

Additionally, Al-Harbi was ordered to return the embezzled amount of SAR2,827,000 to the state treasury. Gifts and other financial aid amounting to SAR175,000 given to his relatives as bribes were also confiscated, along with two agricultural lands he had obtained through these crimes. Furthermore, he was ordered to return another SAR584,000 to the treasury that he had acquired from these offenses.

The ministry affirmed the Saudi government’s commitment to protecting public funds, combating corruption in all its forms, and safeguarding society from those who exploit their positions for personal gain or to harm public interests. It emphasized that the legal systems would be applied to violators, regardless of their position or status.