Saudi Arabia quizzes judge, accomplices over graft

Cairo: A Saudi anti-corruption watchdog has said that a court judge had been arrested over involvement in a graft case, the latest crackdown on high-profile offenders in the kingdom.

The Control and Anti-Corruption Authority added that the judge was arrested along with his brother, who is an officer with a rank of colonel, a businessman and a lawyer for involvement in bribery, money laundering, seizing public money, abuse of power and misuse of administrative authority, Saudi newspaper Okaz reported Sunday.

The case started with a report that the judge had received bribes linked to lawsuits and was illegally involved in trade, a source at the watchdog said.

Investigations proved the authenticity of the report filed against the judge and involvement of others including a middleman appointed by him to receive the bribes in collaboration with the judge's brother, the businessman and the lawyer.

All those arrested in the case admitted in investigations to the charges levelled against them, the source said.

"Work is under way to refer them to the court after all related procedures are completed," the source added.

The judge was arrested after finalising relevant procedures from the Supreme Council for Judiciary in accordance with the Saudi judicial system, the watchdog said.

It called the suspected judge's conduct an "individual act" unrepresentative of judges' integrity in Saudi Arabia.