RIYADH, Sep 02 (Alliance News): Saudi authorities arrested 108 government employees in August as part of an ongoing campaign against corruption, the Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha) said on Wednesday.
According to Nazaha, the authority launched several criminal and administrative investigations during the month as part of efforts to strengthen integrity and prevent corruption across government institutions.
The authority conducted 2,659 oversight visits and investigated 352 government employees suspected of involvement in corruption-related cases.
The investigations resulted in the arrest of 108 employees working in the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Commerce, and Ministry of Municipalities and Housing.
Nazaha said the suspects were accused of offences including bribery and abuse of official positions. Some of those detained were later released on bail.
Saudi Arabia’s anti-corruption campaign gained international attention after a major crackdown was launched in November 2017 under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Hundreds of prominent figures, including princes, government ministers and businessmen, were detained during the campaign. Many of them were held at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh.
Saudi authorities later said they had recovered more than $106 billion, equivalent to around 400 billion riyals, through settlements involving cash, real estate and business assets.
Earlier, Nazaha announced the arrest of 130 Saudi citizens and expatriate residents suspected of corruption-related offences following inspections and investigations conducted in June.
The authority said it carried out 1,585 oversight inspections and investigated 385 suspects during that campaign.
