Retrials ordered of 2009 Jeddah flood suspects

JEDDAH: The Riyadh Administrative Court of Appeal has ordered the retrial of several people acquitted by courts in Jeddah over the 2009 flood disaster in the city.
The court had Tuesday ruled in favor of an application launched by the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution (BIPP) to hold new trials for those suspected of being responsible for the floods that killed more than 120 people and caused billions in damage to infrastructure, property and cars.
The court prepared a list of those found innocent two years ago and ordered them to answer further questions on the catastrophe. This includes a prominent individual in the city, according to a press report on Wednesday.
According to previous reports, there were 332 accused who faced trial in Jeddah’s courts for various offenses including corruption in implementing municipal projects, encroachments on flood canals, bribery, forgery, money laundering and position abuse.
The accused included senior officials, and lower ranked employers and businesspeople across various sectors and industries. Investigators had probed 30 companies, the reports stated.
The floods prompted the Makkah governorate to carry out 14 emergency projects to deal with floods in the city. In addition, the government implemented several long-term projects including five dams, expansion of the existing canals in the northern, southern and eastern parts of Jeddah, and the construction of a new canal along King Abdulaziz International Airport, the reports stated.