The Saudi Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority has announced the opening of criminal cases against a number of officers and civil servants of the Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense for involvement in suspicious financial transactions of about $ 328 million.
Authorities have indicted at least 51 people on corruption charges, according to the Saudi SPA news agency.
The commission investigated «48 parties, including 19 employees of the Ministry of Defense, 3 government employees, 18 businessmen, and 8 employees working for companies contracting with the joint forces, including 3 foreigners».
According to the prosecution, the defendants had made illicit financial gains amounting to 328 million dollars. Currently, work is underway to recover the looted funds to the state treasury.
The Saudi authorities have opened 158 corruption criminal cases since the end of October against 226 citizens and residents of the Kingdom.
Among high-profile cases, the authorities filed corruption charges against the director of quality management in a municipality in one of the governorates and his two brothers for accepting bribes amounting to $ 6 million, as well as against a retired major general from the Ministry of National Guard for accepting bribes amounting to $ 2 million.
The authorities pledged to maintain its clampdown on those abusing their positions in public office for personal gain.
