According to the commission’s bylaw, officials and other individuals cooperating with the NCCC by informing it about graft cases would be given encouraging rewards. The NCCC will monitor activities in government departments and semigovernment companies, in which the state has at least 25 percent stake.

The NCCC has full backing from Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, who wants to get rid of the country’s corrupt officials and bureaucrats. The king ordered punitive action against officials and companies implicated in Jeddah floods of 2009 and 2011.

The law, which has 17 articles, said the authority would be directly linked with the king and will have an independent financial and administrative status. It will also work to achieve the objectives of the national strategy to protect integrity and fight corruption.

“The NCCC will work to retrieve the money taken away by individuals or firms through corrupt practices,” the law said. It will review the activities of departments and companies, find out the reasons for the spread of corruption and propose new laws and policies to prevent corruption. It will also revise existing regulations to make them effective. The departments and companies that come under the NCCC’s jurisdiction should give the public adequate communication accessibility to inform corruption cases, the law said. The commission would verify complaints received from the public and encourage people to provide information related to corrupt practices in the country.

The commission should pass corruption cases to investigation bodies such as the Control and Investigation Board and the Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution to probe the matter thoroughly before taking action, the law said. The NCCC will also work to promote a culture of honesty and fairness among department and company officials.

Government departments and companies have to provide the commission with information related to approved projects and operation and maintenance contracts and relevant documents. They should also answer questions to clarify doubts within 30 days after receiving such questions.

Referring to the commission’s administrative hierarchy, the law said its president would hold the rank of a minister and will have two deputies. The president will supervise all efforts to realize the organization’s objectives. He has the authority to hand over some of his powers to NCCC officials.

The commission will have separate departments for combating corruption, following up projects, research and studies, financial obligations, monitoring and statistics, international agreements and organizations, and public awareness and education programs. Employees appointed at the NCCC should be wise, honest, impartial and trustworthy, the law said. “A person should not work for a public or private sector, either for salary or without salary as long as he/she is working for the NCCC,” it said. The commission will have an independent budget and the amount would be deposited to its account at the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency. “It will provide encouraging remunerations as well as moral and material rewards to government employees and other individuals who help the NCCC uncover corrupt practices and save public money,” the law said.

The commission will present an annual report to the king within 90 days after the end of a fiscal year, highlighting its achievements in the previous year, enumerating its difficulties, making new proposals and giving an appraisal of the overall situation in the Kingdom with regard to honesty and transparency.