5 implicated in social insurance card fraud

The Ministry of Social Affairs revealed recently that 40,000 beneficiaries were dropped out of the social insurance list this year while another 850,000 families stood to lose their social insurance owing to irregular practices.
In a press release, the ministry said that two female and three male employees in Arar are involved in two cases of dispensing illegal social insurance cards and tampering with official documents.
Meanwhile, Undersecretary at the Ministry for Social Security Muhammad Al-Oqla said while announcing the sanctions imposed on the employees that their violation came under defamatory action.
“The social insurance cards which were damaged were either canceled, duplicates or frozen with no financial sums incurred on them,” said Al-Oqla.
He explained that an investigation team at the female social insurance office in Jeddah has taken the cards that were partially damaged into its possession while another team in Arar has collected the paper documents and files to be disposed of according to regulations.
“About 40, 825 beneficiaries were dropped out of the social insurance list during this current year, but the number of families included in the system stood at 850, 000,” he added.
On the other hand, the General Director of Review and Audit at the Ministry, Awad Al-Shehri, said the investigations of the two cases of the Northern Borders and Jeddah revealed no incriminating evidence.