Four Saudis to Face Trial for Mishandling Charity Funds
Four Saudis will go on trial on charges of breaching trust after they were accused of mismanaging a charity, according to Saudi media.
Investigations revealed that the defendants had acted in bad faith by illegally dispensing financial support for employees at the charitable society and finances of over SR1 million without following related rules.
They were arrested and referred to the competent court to face penalties under the Saudi anti-fraud law.
Saudi public prosecution said harming or exploiting charities’ resources is considered a crime, the perpetrator of which is liable to strict disciplinary accountability.
It was not immediately clear when the offence surfaced or where the affected charity is located.
Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia announced setting up a prosecution branch to handle cases of financial fraud in a step aimed to fast-track related procedures.
Under Saudi law, fraud is punishable by up to seven years in prison and a maximum fine of SR5 million.
Last month, Saudi Arabia’s Supreme court upheld jail sentences totalling 70 years earlier handed down to 26 people including a former judge in a high-profile property deed manipulation case that surfaced more than a decade ago. The case started in Al Baha in south-western Saudi Arabia in 2011 and involved two-month investigations with suspects, who also included businessmen.
In July, Saudi authorities arrested a suspected ring of 12 expatriates and citizens accused of practising online fraud and transferring the illicit gains to outside the kingdom.
