The case is related to a catastrophic flood that hit the city in November 2009.
The court will deliver the judgment within a couple of weeks after completion of trial proceedings and going through a report presented by the Jeddah municipality in response to queries made by investigating officials, Al-Madinah Arabic daily reported on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the accused official claimed that the municipality’s report had absolved him of committing any violations or irregularities. “The report blames the project’s designer for the defective implementation of the Haramain flood canal route,” he said.
The municipality’s report contains a detailed description of the projects that were implemented under the supervision of the official. It also contains excerpts of its findings that apparently absolve him of the major charges. The municipality explained its view regarding the project to bring down the ground water level in the southeastern districts of Jeddah, such as Al-Faihaa, Jamia, Briman and Samer, for which the official signed the contract.
The report also noted that the project was in the preliminary phase of tender. The municipality also attached another report about the progress of another project. “The project is still under implementation. The money for the completed part of the project has already been disbursed and the dues of the contractor will be paid out only after completion of the project,” it said.
According to the sources, the municipality’s report also noted that all parts of the rainwater network on Palestine Street at the intersection of Prince Majed Street has been completed under the supervision of the official, who was keen not to waste public wealth.
Referring to his supervision of the project for minimizing flooding in villages in the Jeddah region as well as construction of a floodwater path along the Haramain Expressway, the report accused the designer of the project of negligence, resulting in faulty implementation of the scheme.
About 30 officials and developers were detained for alleged mismanagement of projects that contributed to the flooding disaster.
In a similar development, the Control and Investigation Board and the Prosecution and Investigation Commission (PIC) are currently completing procedures to refer other flood-related cases to the courts. Even though these people were not directly involved in the disaster, they were accused of committing violations that contributed to the disaster. Cases involving seven foreigners, including Lebanese, Egyptian and Jordanian nationals, will be transferred to the Court of Grievances and the preliminary court shortly. They are accused of accepting bribes, forgery, coverups and other violations. These foreigners were detained earlier but were released on bail later after agreeing not to leave the Kingdom.
