Saudi Arabia's Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority announced on Wednesday the arrest of employees in government agencies and residents who committed criminal cases it recently investigated, noting that work is ongoing to complete legal procedures against them.

The authority explained in a statement that a citizen (businessman) was detained for offering 1.6 million riyals ($426,666) to customs clearance officers to facilitate the entry of two shipping containers through Jeddah Islamic Port containing restricted tobacco imports in exchange for not paying the due government customs fees of 14 million riyals ($3,733,333), in addition to an employee of the Ministry of Health who received 900,000 riyals ($240,000) in installments for awarding projects to a commercial entity in an irregular manner.

The statement noted that a resident working on a project for the Ministry of Energy was arrested upon receiving 200,000 riyals ($53,333) in exchange for not issuing fines and violations against a commercial entity worth 1.5 million riyals ($400,000), and another at an engineering consulting office appointed as an expert from the commercial court in a commercial dispute case upon receiving 50,000 riyals ($13,333) out of 100,000 riyals ($26,666) agreed upon for preparing a technical report in favor of one of the parties in an irregular manner.

The authority added that a former military officer at the Passports Department was detained for receiving total amounts of 60,500 riyals ($16,133) in exchange for completing procedures for expatriate transactions in an irregular manner, and two employees at a municipality for receiving 40,000 riyals ($10,666) to complete transaction procedures in an irregular manner, and another at the Ministry of Islamic Affairs for stealing computer devices while working as a warehouse custodian in one of the regions.

The statement reported the arrest of an employee at the Customs Authority upon receiving 55,000 riyals ($14,666) in exchange for modifying the status of imported goods in an irregular manner, and another at one of the secretariats upon receiving 10,000 riyals ($2,666) out of 50,000 riyals ($13,333) agreed upon for completing a transaction procedure in an irregular manner, and a third at a driving school upon receiving a sum of money from a resident in exchange for completing procedures for issuing a driver's license without attending the school, and an employee at the Ministry of Human Resources upon receiving 10,000 riyals ($2,666) in exchange for not issuing violations against a commercial entity during field inspections.

The authority also noted the detention of a resident working at a health facility for receiving a sum of money in exchange for issuing a medical examination report and laboratory test for an expatriate without his presence and attaching the reports through the electronic platform of the 'Balady' system, and four employees at a municipality for employing citizens related to them in an irregular manner and disbursing amounts as salaries to resident workers at the municipality and benefiting from them in an irregular manner, and an employee at the Ministry of Human Resources and a citizen for the former receiving 2,500 riyals from the latter in exchange for handing over an incorrect letter addressed to the Passports Department to cancel a report of absence of an expatriate for the purpose of transferring his sponsorship, as well as a manager and an employee at a periodic inspection station for receiving sums of money in exchange for completing vehicle inspection procedures in an irregular manner.

The authority affirmed its continuation in monitoring and arresting anyone who assaults public funds or exploits their position for personal interest or to harm the public interest and holding them accountable even after their relationship with the job ends, as financial and administrative corruption crimes are not subject to statute of limitations, stressing that it proceeds to implement what the system dictates against violators without leniency.