Saudi Arabia nets 136 in anti-corruption swoop

Cairo: Saudi Arabia’s state anti-corruption watchdog has said that 136 suspects in graft cases were detained last month, including government employees, as part of a relentless swoop on corruption in the country.

The Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority, known as Nazha, disclosed that it interrogated a total of 289 suspects in September including employees at the ministries of interior, health, justice, education, as well as the environment, water and agriculture.

Some 136 of the suspects were arrested and some of them were later released on bail, according to the watchdog. They were charged with involvement in bribery and job exploitation.

“Disciplinary procedures are being completed in preparation to refer them to judiciary,” the agency added without giving further details. The watchdog has urged the public to report suspected financial and administrative corruption through different means, including a hotline and its email address.

In recent years, hundreds of state employees and entrepreneurs have been arrested and interrogated in Saudi Arabia over dubious dealings and waste of public money.

In July, Nazha said it had detained 155 people after investigations with 382 suspects in different corruption cases, some linked to the annual Hajj pilgrimage season.

In 2017, a Saudi anti-corruption swoop netted dozens of royals, state officials and business tycoons. They were briefly detained in a Riyadh hotel pending investigations over suspected graft.

Last year, Saudi Arabia uncovered a multi-million-riyal graft case involving diplomats, security personnel and expatriates linked to illegal trade in labour visas.

In connection with the case, Nazha disclosed the names of 13 suspects, including two diplomats who worked at the Saudi embassy in Bangladesh.