RIYADH: The National Anti-Corruption Commission (Nazaha) has said that 36 percent of graft-related reports or tips by citizens over the past year were incorrect and did not fall within its terms of reference.

The Nazaha allows individuals to confidentially report irregularities involving government projects and contracts. The anti-graft body said it dealt with 1,200 tips out of 3,336 reports last year and referred some cases to the investigating authorities.

Khalid Al-Muhaisin, head of the Nazaha, speaking on the sidelines of the Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC) anti-corruption meeting in Riyadh recently, said that all reports received go through various stages of verification and then possibly forwarded to the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution.

The meeting discussed, among other issues, the need to draft a unified GCC anti-corruption strategy.

This would assist in international efforts to fight corruption He said the objective of the meeting was also to advance research and performance of staff in the GCC.