Official held over SR6.3m bribe case

An official at the Eastern Province Municipality has been arrested and suspended for bribery, forgery and document manipulation, along with several other officials who were found to be complicit in the crimes, said a report issued by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (Nazaha).
The official had reportedly accepted SR6.3 milllion in bribes, which he had deposited into different local bank accounts.
According to Nazaha’s report, the director of urban planning at the municipality and other employees took part in the deal.
A citizen had reportedly told Nazaha that the official had asked him for money in order to approve real estate schemes.
The commission investigated the matter and liaised with authorities to garner powerful evidence to substantiate the case.
Initial investigation revealed that several officials had pressurized real estate owners into paying money or allowing them to become shareholders in their companies in order to expedite their projects.
The report also mentioned that individuals outside the municipality and one person from an independent real estate office helped conceal these crimes and were complicit in forcing owners to submit checks in their names and deposit them into eight different bank accounts.
A follow-up on the investigation eventually revealed large amounts of money that were disproportionate with the official’s monthly income.