They hoped the body would enable them to overcome some of the hurdles they are facing while pursuing commercial activities.

Owner of the Arabian Women’s Center Saleha Al-Olkami said the king’s decision would help serve the interests of the Saudi middle class greatly.

“The commission can act as a watchdog against unreasonable hikes in the prices of essential consumer goods after the royal decree for an additional two-month salary, fixation of the minimum wage at SR3,000 and many other social welfare schemes,” she said.

“The body would help put an end to the growing presence of middlemen as well as to ensure fair treatment for all citizens, including women, without any exception.”

She hoped that the commission would scrutinize all government decisions and ensure there was no discrimination against new entrepreneurs in favor of more established businesspeople.

Al-Olkami said that the setting up of the commission would help Saudi businesswomen to eliminate restrictions put in place by some circles, preventing them from entering certain business ventures, including those selling cosmetics and providing Moroccan bath treatments inside beauty parlors.

Iman, another businesswoman, said she is a staunch supporter of the anti-corruption body, as it would scrutinize government agencies.

The conduct of officials at some of these agencies was unacceptable, she said.

“As a businesswoman, I encounter problems when completing paperwork at certain agencies, including the municipality and the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice,” she said.

Fatima Al-Falaqi, owner of Laura Center, drew attention to the losses incurred by her and her partner while running shops selling ladies’ bags and cosmetics because of the presence of foreign women who sell from their homes without a license from the authorities.

“We have hope in the anti-corruption body to enable us to have a bright future by putting an end to this thriving illegal trade,” she said.

Al-Falaqi noted that businesswomen in Asir held a series of meetings earlier to discuss ways to put an end to this illegal trade and then presented a petition to the municipality.

“The municipality referred the petition to the local labor office, which in turn presented it to the Monitoring Commission. The commission told us to provide it with the names and other details of those who were trading without a license,” she said, adding that so far there has been no solution to the problem. She said each agency was content to blame each other and not take responsibility.

Al-Falaqi said these unlicensed women pose a serious threat to several Saudi businesswomen with valid licenses who run businesses supervised by government agencies.

“These businesswomen pay zakat and fees to the municipality in addition to providing health insurance for their workers. The anti-corruption commission could do a lot in consolidating the position of businesswomen in the Kingdom’s business sector,” she said.