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

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

The statement noted the arrest of a resident working on a Ministry of Energy project as he received 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 by the Commercial Court in a commercial dispute case as he received 50,000 riyals ($13,333) out of an agreed 100,000 riyals ($26,666) in exchange 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 'Directorate of Passports' was arrested for obtaining sums of money totaling 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 appropriating computer devices while working as a warehouse custodian in one of the regions.

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

The authority pointed to the arrest of a resident working in 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 via the electronic platform of the 'Baladi' system, and four employees at a municipality for employing citizens related to them in an irregular manner, and disbursing amounts as salaries to residents working in the municipality and benefiting from them in an irregular manner, and an employee of the 'Ministry of Human Resources' and a citizen for the former receiving 2,500 riyals from the latter in exchange for delivering an incorrect letter addressed to the 'Directorate of Passports' to cancel an absconding report on a resident with the aim of transferring his sponsorship, in addition to 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 continued monitoring and apprehension of anyone who encroaches on public funds or exploits their position for personal gain or to harm the public interest, and will hold 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 will proceed with implementing what the law stipulates against violators without leniency.