Saudi court sentences corrupt officials as anti-graft authority intensifies crackdown

Saudi court sentences corrupt officials as anti-graft authority intensifies crackdown

Saudi Gazette reportRIYADH — A number of citizens and residents, including some former government officials, have been convicted and handed prison terms for their involvement in corruption cases, an official source at the Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha) said on Monday.The anti-corruption authority has also initiated a number of fresh criminal cases involving fraud, bribery, and embezzlement of public funds, the source added.According to the source, a criminal court in Riyadh recently issued preliminary rulings in a number of cases referred to it by Nazaha's investigation and criminal prosecution unit.The source cited a number of prominent cases in which preliminary verdicts have been announced. In one ruling, the court convicted an employee of the Ministry of Defense for embezzling public funds, sentenced him to five years in prison, and ordered him to pay a fine after returning the embezzled money to the state exchequer.In another ruling, a retired officer from the Ministry of Defense was convicted of embezzling public funds and was sentenced to three years in prison. The ex-officer was also