Saudi Arabia arrests hundreds in its latest corruption crackdown

At least 241 people, including employees of several ministries, have been arrested for their alleged involvement in corruption, Saudi Arabia’s anti-graft authority said on Sunday.

In a statement, the Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha), said the accused included employees from the ministries of interior, health, municipal and rural affairs and housing, education, and human resources and social development, customs and the postal story.

Charges have been framed against the suspects, which include bribery, abuse of power and forgery. They were arrested during as many as 263 inspection raids carried out by the Nazaha teams during the last month.

The arrest of the suspects, both citizens and expatriates, was made after investigating the alleged role of 757 people, Nazaha said, adding that the legal procedures are being completed prior to referring them to courts.

In the past few years, authorities have been cracking down on corruption in Saudi Arabia – the largest economy in the Arab world.

Last January, 32 people were arrested following an investigation into the illegal transfer of $3.1bn out of the country.

According to Nazaha, bank employees a the Saudi Central Bank were reportedly taking bribes from an organised group of expats and businessmen to accept deposits from unknown sources and then transfer the money out of the country.