The Saudi government, at least in Madinah, is cracking down on corruption according to this Arab News piece. While the article does not go so far as to name names, it is specific enough in naming the job titles of those involved to permit anyone interested to figure out just who’s being charged.
Only rarely does the Saudi media publish the names of miscreants, particularly Saudi miscreants. The major exception has been in dealing with domestic terrorism. Otherwise, names tend to disappear into a fog of anonymity whether through a sense of shame, a cultural preference to avoid confrontation, or simply good business to not offend someone with potentially better connections than the papers.
8 health officials accused of graft
P.K. Abdul Ghafour | Arab NewsJEDDAH: Eight health officials in the Madinah province have been accused of taking bribes from 13 Saudi and foreign businessmen. The bribes were taken for granting licenses to open new pharmacies or shifting them to other places or transferring their ownership to other investors.
The eight, who face corruption charges by the Control & Investigation Board (CIB), are the director of medical licenses department, the director of health affairs, the director of administrative and financial affairs, two employees at the medical licenses department, a primary health care employee, a public relations manager and a retired health official.
The CIB has handed over the case to the Administrative Court after charging the eight with bribery and corruption, Al-Eqtisadiah Arabic daily reported yesterday, quoting informed sources.
Under Saudi law, government officials convicted of accepting bribes could be jailed for up to 10 years and fined SR500,000.
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July:30:2008 - 15:39
I hope more fall in the core of the earth. Are bribes what make the world go round in Saudi? Put them behind bars and shame their game.