Anti-corruption chief threatens to quit

The head of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (Nazaha), Mohammed Al-Sharief, has warned that he will quit his job if the agency becomes another bureaucratic institution.
“I will be the first to quit this position if Nazaha becomes a bureaucratic agency or if I feel that it is not working properly,” Al-Sharief said in comments published Sunday. He said another person was welcome to take take charge if he could do the job better.
He emphasized that no ministry or government department has the right to hide information from the public, except information related to national security.
His deputy Saleh Al-Abdul Qader urged the media to inform the commission about government agencies that do not cooperate with them.
“Nazaha has repeatedly sent letters to government departments telling them that the national strategy to combat corruption demands explanations of the measures they have taken to ensure transparency in their purchases,” the Nazaha chief said.
“We have also told them that they should not conceal information from the media, which has the right to access and criticize it,” he said.
Al-Sharief also disclosed plans to conduct a public survey on services rendered by government hospitals that operate on their own revenue. “We’ll find out the shortcomings in services in order to help citizens receive such services either from the same hospitals or from medical centers,” he said.
Fuad Kawther, a Saudi engineer, said Nazaha has so far failed to achieve its goal. “Corruption is rampant in the country,” he said urging the commission to take effective measures to punish corrupt officials.