RIYADH — The Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha) said on Wednesday it has filed criminal charges in 15 corruption cases covering bribery, abuse of office, fraud, theft of public property, and other financial and administrative violations, with legal actions ongoing against those implicated.

Nazaha, established in 2011, is the kingdom's main anti-corruption watchdog, tasked with investigating and prosecuting financial and administrative crimes across government and private sectors.

In a prominent case, Nazaha arrested a Saudi businessman on suspicion of offering SR1.6 million to a customs broker to allow two containers of restricted tobacco products through Jeddah Islamic Port, evading about SR14 million in customs duties.

A Ministry of Health employee in one region was detained for allegedly taking SR900,000 in installments in return for unlawfully awarding multiple government projects to a specific company.

In cooperation with the Ministry of Energy, Nazaha arrested a resident employed on one of the ministry's projects while allegedly accepting SR200,000 to refrain from issuing fines totaling SR1.5 million against a commercial establishment.

The authority also arrested a resident working for an engineering consultancy who had been appointed by the Commercial Court as an expert in a commercial dispute. He was allegedly caught receiving SR50,000, part of an agreed SR100,000 bribe, in exchange for preparing a technical report favoring one party in the case.

Working with the Ministry of Interior, Nazaha detained a former Passports officer accused of accepting SR60,500 to process illegal expatriate transactions. A Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority employee was also arrested for allegedly taking SR55,000 to change the status of imported goods.

The authority further detained two employees at a municipality in one of the governorates for allegedly receiving SR40,000 to unlawfully complete official transactions, while another municipal employee was arrested after allegedly accepting SR10,000, part of an agreed SR50,000 payment, in exchange for facilitating a municipal procedure.

Nazaha also arrested a Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development employee while allegedly receiving SR10,000 in exchange for not issuing violations against a commercial establishment during an inspection campaign.

In a separate case, another ministry employee and a Saudi citizen were detained after the employee allegedly accepted SR2,500 in exchange for issuing a false letter addressed to the General Directorate of Passports to cancel an expatriate's absconding report and facilitate the transfer of the worker's sponsorship.

The authority also detained four municipal employees accused of unlawfully hiring relatives and misappropriating salaries allocated to expatriate workers employed by the municipality.

In the healthcare sector, a resident employed at a medical facility was arrested for allegedly accepting money to issue a medical examination report and laboratory test results for an expatriate without the individual's presence and uploading the documents to the Balady electronic platform.

In cooperation with the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance, Nazaha detained a ministry employee accused of stealing several computers while serving as the custodian of a regional ministry warehouse.

A driving school employee was also arrested while allegedly accepting money from a resident in exchange for completing procedures to issue a driver's license without requiring attendance at the school.

In another case, the manager of a periodic vehicle inspection station and another employee at the same facility were detained for allegedly receiving money to unlawfully complete vehicle inspection procedures.

Nazaha reaffirmed its commitment to detecting and prosecuting anyone who misuses public funds or exploits public office for personal gain or to the detriment of the public interest. The authority stressed that financial and administrative corruption offenses are not subject to a statute of limitations and that offenders will be held accountable even after leaving public service.

These arrests highlight the Saudi government's ongoing efforts to combat corruption, a key pillar of its Vision 2030 reform plan. Public officials and private individuals alike face strict accountability, with penalties ranging from fines to imprisonment. The cases also underscore the scale of illicit financial activities, with sums reaching millions of riyals. Authorities have increasingly used coordination between agencies, such as the Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Energy, to detect and disrupt corrupt practices. Observers expect further investigations as Nazaha continues its mandate to promote transparency and integrity in public administration.