After submitting the document in court, the commission demanded the defendant should be handed the appropriate punishment for causing loss of lives and damage to public and private properties.

The defendant should submit a written reply to the charges after two weeks, which is when the court is due to consider the case again.

The ex-official denied the charges against him. He said he was not officially responsible for ensuring natural flood defenses although he conceded he had accidentally interfered in such matters.

He admitted that he was wrong to recommend to the mayor, who he was working for at the time, to approve constructions in certain areas in east Jeddah.

When replying to questions of the PIC, the former undersecretary said his official duty was to find solutions to any problem appearing in municipal projects.

He added that he could give solutions only on the basis of the data available at that time and could not predict what would happen in the future. He justified his recommendation to permit construction in low-lying valleys to make life easier for citizens who wanted to build their own homes but could not find any other land.

The public prosecutor said the defendant’s statements only confirmed the charge that the former official misused his authority.