The Saudi judiciary issued preliminary rulings varying between three months and four years in prison, and included fines against a number of persons accused in corruption cases.
The accused included two judges, a major officer and a businessman, and others in government sectors, including the ministries of housing and education.
The convicts were charged with exploiting their influence and involvement in bribes and money laundering schemes. The rulings ordered that the accused return funds of about 13.2 million riyals ($3.5 million).
Saudi Arabia’s National Anti-Corruption Commission confirmed that work is underway to present a list of objections to provisions to apply the maximum penalties against those involved in corruption cases.
The Commission stressed that it is “monitoring anyone who encroaches on public funds, or exploits their career position for personal benefit, or to harm the public interest.”
An official source in the Control and Anti-Corruption Authority stated that preliminary rulings were issued for a number of financial and administrative corruption cases, the most prominent of which were as follow:
The first case: The arrest of a judge red handed in the general court at one of the regions, and accused with bribery. Upon referring him to the competent court, a ruling was issued for four years in prison and a fine of more than 100,000 riyals.
The second case: An appeals judge in one of the courts took advantage of his position and received bribes. Upon referring him to the competent court, a ruling was issued against him for four years in prison with a fine of 100,000 riyals, and imprisonment of a citizen (briber) for four years with a fine of 100,000 riyals.
The third case: One of the citizens deluded two expatriates of the possibility of abolishing the deportation penalty issued against them in exchange for 800,000 riyals, and by accusing them of paying a sum of money in the form of bribery, money laundering and commercial concealment.
Upon referring them to the competent court, rulings were issued against them to imprison the citizen for two years and imprison the two expatriates and their employer for two and a half years, and fining each one of them an amount of 20,000 riyals and confiscating an amount of money, with the deportation of the two expatriates from the country after the end of their sentences.
The fourth case: Two employees of the Education Department in one of the regions were accused of forgery, embezzlement of public funds, money laundering, and administrative misuse. Upon referring them to the competent court, a ruling was issued against them.
The first employee was sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined 1 million riyals. The employee has to also return the embezzled amount. The employee will also face a travel ban for a period of four years after the execution of the ruling. The second employee was sentenced to nine months in prison, and fined 20,000 riyals.
