Former Public Security chief jailed 20 years over forgery, bribery and embezzlement

Riyadh: A Saudi court has sentenced the former director of Public Security to 20 years in jail and fined him SR1 million ($266,000) after he was convicted of bribery, forgery, authority misuse, embezzling public funds and other charges, reported the Arab News.

According to the publication, the court issued an irrevocable ruling and jailed Lt. Gen. Khalid bin Qarar Al-Harbi for an initial 10 years for forgery and bribery. His SR1 million fine and seized embezzled funds will be deposited in the government’s treasury.

Al-Harbi was also handed an additional 10 years’ imprisonment after the court convicted him of misusing authority for personal gains, exploiting government contracts and embezzling public funds.

On Friday, the Saudi Press Agency cited a Ministry of Interior official source saying that the Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha) had questioned Al-Harbi and referred him to the pertinent court in accordance with the Criminal Procedures Law.

The source added that in reference to a royal order, the defendant’s services were terminated. He was referred to retirement and placed under investigation by Nazaha.

According to the undated court judgment, the bribe amount of SR10.08 million which Al-Harbi received will be confiscated. He was also ordered to repay the SR2.82 million of public funds that he embezzled.

The court will confiscate the gifts (or the equivalence of their value) and financial payments provided to his relatives as bribes that amounted up to SR175,000. Two agricultural plots that he obtained as bribes will also be confiscated.

The court also ordered Al-Harbi to repay SR584,000 that he obtained illegally.

The Interior Ministry highlighted the Saudi government’s keenness to protect public funds and combat corruption in all its forms.