Osama Al-Rabiah, deputy chairman of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (Nazaha), has revealed that officials who were recently relieved of their positions will be held accountable if they were found of indulging in corruption during their services.

Speaking to a local publication, he said it is not Nazaha’s responsibility to hold the officials accountable, however they are charged with collecting data and information in cases of corruption before referring it to the investigation bodies. He confirmed that Nazaha’s role is to make sure the corruption case is 100 percent correct before submitting it to the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution, and to the Royal Court in certain situations.

He said the number of reports of corruption received by Nazaha in 2014 amounted to 4,450 in total.

“The body deals with any report on corruption with the utmost seriousness,” he explained, adding that it takes up to three weeks to make sure a report is true and correct.

On the geographic level, Al-Rabiah said most corruption cases occur in regions which are most populated. “For instance, because Riyadh includes many government bodies and agencies, it is where the majority of corruption violations occur,” he explained.

Since its establishment, he added, Nazaha received more than 22,000 reports over the past four years. “Last year, the body received 1,278 reports in its jurisdiction, and another 3,206 unsubstantiated reports,” he said.

He confirmed that investigations contributed to restoring SR 284 million to the state treasury, noting that corruption in all situations represents an obstacle that hinders development of the country and can halt the attraction of potential investors.

“Corruption is closely linked with criminal activities, especially organized crime that can cross national borders,” he added.

At a recent anti-corruption conference in Riyadh, he suggested putting in place a system to protect public funds, and developing anti-corruption systems in accordance with the conventions of the United Nations on combating corruption. He noted that the civil organizations must be involved in this process, too.