The campaign will be the first direct initiative the authority has launched since it was established by a royal decree in Ramadan. It was also one of the packages presented by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to his people on his return following treatment abroad.
The campaign will highlight the ways corruption harms society as a whole and inform the public on how to report corruption in the public or private sector. The media campaign will urge citizens and foreigners to cooperate fully with the authority to put an end to corruption.
The authority is planning to establish a website through which residents can report corruption. Currently it is receiving information through telephone calls, fax messages, post and face-to-face contact.
The authority has designated a number of staff members to receive and verify information about possible corruption. They will seriously consider any information, verify it and thoroughly check the integrity of the informant before taking any legal action.
The authority strongly believes that the public is an important partner and has urged members not to hesitate in blowing the whistle on corruption.
Chairman of the authority Muhammad bin Abdullah Al-Sharif said the authority had asked all government departments and private companies to erect signboards at the locations of projects clearly indicating the name of the project, the name of the contractor, the date of the contract signing, the name of the consultant, the execution period and when the project is due to be finished. "We can use this information to check if there is any financial or administrative corruption,” he added.
Al-Sharif also said the information on the signboards will enable members of the public to monitor the project and report any delays or corruption.
He said though the fifth article of the authority’s constitution makes it imperative for government departments to respond to queries from the authority within 30 days, a number of them have not responded.
Al-Sharif warned unresponsive government and private establishments that they might be publicized in the local press. "The officials responsible for the delay in responding to the authority’s queries will be questioned," he said.
