Saudi Arabia Successfully Hosts Over 15 Mln Worshippers, Umrah Pilgrims during Ramadan

Worshippers perform prayers at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. (SPA)
Worshippers perform prayers at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia Successfully Hosts Over 15 Mln Worshippers, Umrah Pilgrims during Ramadan

Worshippers perform prayers at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. (SPA)
Worshippers perform prayers at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. (SPA)

The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced on Tuesday the success of the Umrah season and the organizational and health measures in place amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Throughout the holy month of Ramadan, over 15.5 million people performed prayers, including 5.1 million Umrah pilgrims, at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. No coronavirus infection was reported among them.

Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Abdulfattah Mashat told Asharq Al-Awsat that the ministry had employed all of its energy, in coordination with all concerned parties, to ensure the success of the Umrah during Ramadan.

He said that it had set preemptive plans and strategies that were prepared in advance before the advent of Ramadan.

The fact that not a single coronavirus infection was reported among the millions of worshippers throughout this period is evidence of the success of these plans, he stressed.

Worshippers were required to have received the COVID-19 vaccine.

Mashat said that the regulations stipulated that a Umrah pilgrim must have received one or two shots of the vaccine.

This measure is sufficient at this stage to ensure everyone’s safety, he remarked.



Saudi Arabia Receives Internationally Wanted Citizen in Corruption Cases from Russia

The headquarters of the Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha) in Riyadh. (Nazaha)
The headquarters of the Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha) in Riyadh. (Nazaha)
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Saudi Arabia Receives Internationally Wanted Citizen in Corruption Cases from Russia

The headquarters of the Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha) in Riyadh. (Nazaha)
The headquarters of the Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha) in Riyadh. (Nazaha)

Saudi Arabia received from Russia on Friday an internationally wanted citizen, Abdullah bin Awadh Aidah Al-Harthy, for committing financial and administrative corruption crimes.

The move was possible in light of the memorandum of understanding signed between the Kingdom’s Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha) and Russia’s Public Prosecution in the field of combating cross-border corruption crimes.

The Russian Prosecutor General's Office had responded to a formal request made by the Nazaha regarding the extradition of a wanted citizen for trial, said an official source at Nazaha.

The response underscores the commitment of both states to upholding the rule of law, strengthening international cooperation, and addressing cross-border corruption crimes, thereby ensuring that corrupt actors are not granted impunity.

Nazaha also acknowledged the GlobE Network's and INTERPOL's roles in pursuing persons involved in corruption crimes and denying them safe havens.

The authority reiterated its commitment to prosecuting those responsible for corruption crimes, both domestically and internationally. It vowed to ensure accountability in line with legal and regulatory frameworks and work to recover any assets and proceeds from committing such crimes to the state's treasury.