An official source in the Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority stated that the Authority initiated a number of criminal cases lately. The perpetrators were referred to the criminal court in Riyadh (Divisions of financial and administrative corruptioncorruptioncorruption cases), which concluded in the issuance of several court rulings, most prominent of which are as follow:
First ruling: convicting a police officer in one of the regions for smuggling detainees out, breaching his job duties in the sake of fulfilling a mediator’s request, forgery and covering up on fugitives and on his mediator’s information; He was sentenced to (7) years in prison and fined (60,000) riyals.
Second ruling: convicting the governor of one of the regions of bribery and embezzlement; and was sentenced to (3) years in prison and fined (25,000) riyals.
Third ruling: the director of the Expropriation Department in one of the regions municipality was convicted of bribery (bribee), forgery and money laundering; he was sentenced to (11) years in prison and a fine, as well as convicting a citizen of bribery (briber) and money laundering; he was sentenced to (5) years in prison and fined (350,000) ) riyals.
Fourth ruling: a resident who works in one of the contracting companies with the Ministry of Education was convicted of offering an amount of (300,000) riyals as a bribe to one of the ministry’s employees in exchange for signing unauthentic certificates of completion in order to disburse the due financial amounts for the company; he was sentenced to (3) years in prison and fined (100,000) riyals.
Fifth ruling: a lawyer was convicted of bribery (briber) and money laundering; he was sentenced to (7) years in prison and fined (70,000) riyals, and an employee of the Public Prosecution was convicted of bribery (bribee), money laundering, and breaching his job duties by disclosing confidential information about some cases; he was sentenced to (5) years and six months in prison and fined (50,000) riyals, and another employee of the Public Prosecution was convicted of bribery (bribee) and money laundering; he was sentenced to (4) years and six months in prison and fined (50,000) riyals, as well as convicting a clerk in the Public Prosecution of bribery (bribee) and abusing the public office; he was sentenced to (2) years and six months in prison and fined (15,000) riyals. Moreover, a conviction of an employee of the General Administration of Prisons in one of the regions of bribery and was sentenced to (1) year and six months in prison and fined (15,000) riyals.
Sixth ruling: A judge was convicted of bribery (briber), administrative abuse, and breach of the integrity of the position; he was sentenced to (10) years in prison and fined (300,000) riyals. An officer with the rank of colonel in the General Administration of Civil Defense in one of the regions was convicted of bribery (bribee), abuse of power for personal gain, embezzlement of public funds, and participation in money laundering; he was sentenced to (10) years in prison and fined (600,000) riyals. A businessman was also convicted of bribery (briber), participation in abuse of power, participation in embezzlement of public funds and money laundering; he was sentenced to (8) years in prison and fined (1,650,000) riyals, in addition to closing up his commercial activities related to the case, preventing him from any contracts or projects with ministries, government departments, and public corporate entities. Another businessman was convicted of bribery (briber) and participation in administrative misuse; he was sentenced to (6) years in prison and fined (400,000) riyals and preventing him from any contracts with ministries, government departments and bodies with public corporate entities. The second businessman’s legal agent was convicted of bribery and participation in administrative misuse, and he was sentenced to (4) years in prison and fined (300,000) riyals. A citizen was convicted of complicity in breaching the integrity of the public office and was sentenced to six months in prison; a ruling was also issued to confiscate the amount of bribery (42,000) riyals and the proceeds from the money laundering crime amounting to (700,000) riyals.
Seventh ruling: convicting an officer with the rank of Major who works as a housing complex manager for one of the housing complexes affiliated with the Ministry of Interior for requesting and taking a gift indirectly and exploiting his position; he was sentenced to (4) years in prison and fined (20,000) riyals, confiscating an amount of (8,402) riyals.
Eighth ruling: a female employee who works in the ministry of Education was convicted with bribery (bribee); she was sentenced to prison for (2) years and six months and fined (25,000) riyals.
The Authority appreciates the efforts of government entities in fighting financial and administrative corruption and the development of policies and procedures that promote speedy achievements which shut any inlets for corruption, and it commends the cooperation of those entities in promoting and achieving integrity, transparency and fighting corruption.