RIYADH, 19 October — A top security official has said that many Saudis have sold passports abroad which may have been used by others involved in international crime.
"Those who have sold their passports have sold their conscience and their homeland for a handful of coins, without thinking about themselves, their families or the security of the nation," Al-Riyadh daily quoted Maj. Gen. Abdul Aziz ibn Jamil Sajini, director-general of the Passport Department, as saying yesterday.
"I regret to have to admit this for the first time, but it is the truth," Sajini said. "It is obvious that a lost, stolen or sold passport can be used to facilitate illicit activities."
Sajini said those proven to have sold their passports would receive "severe punishment". The penalties for those found guilty of this crime includes jail, a fine and a ban on traveling abroad, he added.
Sajini added that a large number of passports have been stolen from Saudi tourists during their journeys abroad.
"We hope citizens will become more aware of the importance of their passports and take better care of them," the director-general said.
There have been several cases of the baggage and personal effects of Saudis being stolen while they were traveling abroad and many passports and other documents could have been lost on these occasions, the director-general conceded. However, there has been a considerable fall in the number of lost passports over the last five years because of the increasing awareness among the citizens of the importance of keeping their travel documents safe.
The department is also fully equipped to detect passport forgery. New electronic passports equipped with a bar code, which are to be issued shortly, will simplify travel procedures, he said.
