Eight expatriate workers, including six Filipinos and an Egyptian and a Pakistani, face jail terms of 10 years and hefty fines for smuggling diesel to another Gulf country.

The suspects are currently locked up in a Dammam prison while awaiting the verdict.

A report by Al-Hayat daily has quoted the Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution as saying that one of the accused, who is a drilling supervisor, paid $150,000 or SR560,000 to another defendant in return for his signature which would allow the boat carrying the smuggled diesel to move out of Saudi territorial waters.

The second defendant confessed that he had accepted the amount in exchange for his signature as an authorized officer.

The report added that all the defendants received bribes from the commander of the boat at various stages of the illegal operation to facilitate the oil shipment.

Meanwhile, the Filipino community in the Kingdom was dismayed to hear of the crime and urged their compatriots to abide by the host country’s laws and refrain from damaging their country’s image.

“As OFWs we should limit our activities to our work and basic lifestyle requirements necessary to live and survive in the Kingdom,” said Saidy Malic, a community leader. He appealed to his fellow countrymen to be loyal to their employers and exercise professional conduct while representing their country.

Migrante-Middle East (M-ME) regional coordinator John Monterona called on the Philippine Embassy to look into the report on the six Filipinos involved in the alleged case of smuggling diesel from Saudi Arabia.

“The embassy should immediately dispatch a team to investigate the incident,” he said, adding that it is the duty of the embassy to ensure that the accused Filipinos are given legal protection.