ABHA: Lawyers have been collating and updating the data of investors throughout the Asir province who lost money in financial scams.
The data is being collected by a committee set up under the instructions of Asir Gov. Prince Faisal bin Khaled to repay investors and bring to justice those who took people’s cash for investment and failed to pay profits or the principal amount.
Meanwhile, members of the public have been making calls on Internet websites for the need to send urgent messages to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to intervene and help resolve the issue.
Speaking to Arab News, a number of such investors said the delay in the proceedings of a lawsuit concerning the scam has raised doubts about early reimbursement to investors.
At an office in the city of Mahayil where investors were providing lawyers with details, people spoke how investors with Saleh Al-Bakri thought they would get back their money. Some lawyers, whom investors said were Governorate employees and not genuine lawyers, confirmed the information but kept quiet about investments with Muajab Al-Farhan.
“I went to update my data with the committee entrusted to resolve the issue and was surprised when I was not even asked to show my identity card or any proof of investment. They just asked me my name, civil registration number, telephone number, the amount of money and the name of the person with whom I invested my money,” said an investor, who asked his name not be published.
The man called for a more proactive attitude on the part of the committee members. “I wonder whether the victims would be repaid or are these just moves to silence investors after the media covered the issue extensively in September?”
According to reports, citizens gathered at the Governorate in Sarrat Obaid after lawyers failed to show up to take down their information. The investors lamented that they had to get leave from work to come to the Governorate and called for a system that would allow them to update their data after working hours.
Meanwhile, Majed Al-Barqi, a financial investor who collected more than SR346.8 million from Saudi citizens, was recently arrested in Beirut after hiding in Lebanon for more than four years. The committee arranged for his father to visit him in Lebanon to ascertain his claims that he is prepared to pay back the cash he had taken.
