Bribery, abuse of power: 140 Saudi government officials detained as Nazaha intensifies graft probe

Cairo: Saudi Arabia's state anti-corruption watchdog has arrested 140 government employees suspected of graft, as part of its ongoing crackdown on white-collar corruption.

The Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority, known as Nazaha ("Integrity"), said the suspects include staff from the ministries of Interior, Defence, Justice, Education, Municipalities and Housing and Environment, Water and Agriculture, as well as the King Fahd Causeway Authority.

They are accused of accepting bribes and exploiting their positions for personal gain.

According to Nazaha, the arrests followed 2,807 oversight tours and 385 interrogation sessions conducted last month.

In March, the authority had announced the detention of 82 other government employees across various ministries, also on charges of bribery and influence peddling.

Nazaha reaffirmed its commitment to monitoring, exposing, and prosecuting anyone involved in abusing public office, vowing to protect public funds and reinforce transparency in both public and private sectors.

In recent years, hundreds of state employees and businesspeople in Saudi Arabia have been detained for corruption and mismanagement of public money.

In January, local media reported that Saudi authorities arrested 1,708 people in 2024, including government staff, over allegations of corruption, money laundering, and influence trading. These arrests followed 4,000 investigations and over 37,000 oversight rounds.

During last year’s Hajj season, Nazaha also carried out 9,600 inspections at Mecca’s holy sites and affiliated agencies, resulting in 155 arrests linked to corruption.