The commission will implement the government’s orders and instructions regarding public matters and protection of public interests. It will also monitor various forms of corruption in contracts relating to public works including operation and maintenance contracts.
“The commission will provide channels for the public to make direct contact with the commission in order to inform about corruption. It will conduct investigations to ensure the truthfulness of such information and take necessary action,” the SPA said, quoting regulations passed by the Council of Ministers.
The commission will pass cases related to financial and administrative corruption to supervisory authorities such as the Control and Investigation Board and the Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution. It will also make efforts to retrieve money gained through corruption.
Muhammad Al-Sharief, president of the commission, thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for issuing the body’s rules and regulations. He said the commission would not only protect honesty but also honest people.
Al-Sharief said government employees and others who uncover corruption cases and help the government save money would be given moral and material rewards.
“The executive bylaw will give details of these rules and regulations,” the president said and urged Saudis and expatriates to become partners of the commission in its fight against corruption.
The commission will propose new regulations and policies aimed at preventing corruption. It will also revise the existing regulations, Al-Sharief said. “The rules and regulations for informing corruption cases will also be issued shortly,” he said.
The commission would also work to promote a culture of honesty and transparency with the support of the public media and NGOs.
Prince Turki bin Abdullah, chairman of the Association for Transparency and Honesty, thanked King Abdullah for giving his go-ahead to form the organization.
He said the association would support government departments and regulations to protect honesty and fight corruption. The association has already conducted a number of seminars and lectures and published booklets that highlight its objectives. It has instituted an award and its first winner was the Communications and Information Technology Commission.
Following the Nov. 25, 2009 floods in Jeddah, King Abdullah ordered an investigation into corrupt practices that exacerbated the situation and deterrent actions taken. Investigators have questioned a number of negligent officials and businessmen after collecting evidence against them. Security authorities have obtained confessions from some officials, including executives of the mayoralty and the Water and Sewage Department, that they took bribes from contractors.
An Interior Ministry spokesman said 302 people and 30 companies and consultancy firms are involved in the scandal; their names have been passed to investigation authorities to determine their roles and punish them accordingly. The floods had resulted in the deaths of more than 120 people and rendered about 10,000 people homeless.
