Saudi Arabia: 139 officials arrested for bribery and misuse of power
Kingdom conducts 2,950 inspections, charges 380 in sweeping anti-corruption effort
Dubai: Some 139 government officials have been arrested in Saudi Arabia on charges of corruption, including bribery, abuse of power and money laundering.
The arrests, carried out by the Saudi Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha), followed a thorough inspection of several government offices, including 2,950 rounds of scrutiny throughout August.
The accused individuals were from various high-profile ministries such as the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Municipality and Housing, and the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority. These inspections led to criminal cases against 380 suspects.
Nazaha reaffirmed its commitment to continue these oversight rounds within both government agencies and private establishments to safeguard public funds and prevent misuse of power.
The authority is also following up on the recovery of funds linked to corruption crimes and is working on improving procedures within the monitored entities to prevent future corruption.