Saudi Arabia Arrests 17 Govt Officials in Major Anti-Corruption Crackdown
A Ministry of Defense officer was also among those arrested.
Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority, known as Nazaha, has arrested 17 government officials from various ministries and departments on charges of bribery, abuse of power, and embezzlement of public funds.
According to local media reports, those arrested include officials from the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, Municipalities, Ministry of Defense, and the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority.
In one of the most serious cases, a Ministry of Industry official allegedly received 1.6 million Saudi Riyals in bribes to unlawfully issue a crusher license to a foreign investor’s company.
In another case, a Saudi citizen was arrested after receiving 85,000 riyals as part of a larger 110,000 riyal bribe. The bribe was aimed at canceling a demolition order on agricultural land that lacked any ownership documents. Two municipal officials in the same area were also detained for accepting bribes related to similar illegal land matters.
Elsewhere, a governorate municipality employee was arrested for taking 195,000 riyals in bribes in exchange for awarding a contract to a commercial entity unlawfully.
A Ministry of Defense officer was also among those arrested. He allegedly accepted money from women in exchange for false promises of government jobs.
Read more: ATC Issues Fourth Non-Bailable Arrest Warrant for Aleema Khan
Nazaha further reported that a Zakat, Tax, and Customs Authority employee was taken into custody at the airport following the discovery of multiple customs violations.
The Authority emphasized that its mission to eliminate corruption remains firm. A Nazaha spokesperson stated, “Anyone who exploits a public position for personal gain will be held accountable, regardless of whether they are still in office or not.”
These arrests reflect Saudi Arabia’s continued efforts under its anti-corruption drive, aligning with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 reforms for transparency and accountability in public service.
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