JEDDAH, 22 May 2007 — The Passport Department in Jeddah yesterday opened investigations into a local company that provides security services after 18 of its employees were arrested carrying false identification documents usually handed to Saudi tribesmen by tribal chiefs on the Kingdom’s border with Yemen.
The 18 security guards were working for the Jeddah-based security company that was operating in one of the city’s biggest hospitals. Passport Department officials were able to arrest the men following a sting operation.
A source at the department said precautions were taken to ensure that the entire group was arrested. The Passport Department’s investigation department is currently trying to identify and arrest the counterfeiters that made the false documents.
The source said that companies tend to employ people with fake IDs and pay them less. Saudis employed as security guards legally receive around SR1,500 a month, while guards with fake identification cards are paid SR800.
The security guards confessed that they were carrying false documents. Some said that they had purchased the documents for SR300 in Yemen, while others had bought the documents for SR500 in Jeddah. The border identification documents are granted by heads of tribes to tribesmen that inhabit the Saudi-Yemen border until they are granted official Saudi citizenship.
The holders of such documents are given priority over other foreigners in jobs and are also eligible to work jobs that only Saudis can be employed in.
The Passport Department called on companies to check identification cards when employing people to prevent such cases from occurring in the future.
The source added that companies found to be hiring employees that carry fake documents could face a hefty fine and face jail time.
