RIYADH: The National Anti-Corruption Commission (Nazaha) disclosed here on Saturday irregularities that took place in Tabarjal, in Al-Jouf province, involving construction firms and government employees.

In its statement, Nazaha said the anti-graft organization has received the results of the investigation in the expropriation of properties in the province of Tabarjal. The findings showed manipulation of accounts by the construction firms and staff in some government agencies for road construction projects under the Ministry of Transport.

The concerned parties were charged with bribery, fraud, abuse of power and waste of public money, after a complaint was received by the administrative of Al-Jouf. It referred the case to the Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution, the statement said.

According to Nazaha, the case has been investigated and a lawsuit was prepared against them. The accused were referred to administrative court in Sakaka which ordered imprisonment and fined them, obliging them to return the funds they took from the public treasury, amounting to SR29.99 million.

Nazaha spokesman Abdul Rahman Al-Ajlan said that the commission has asked the relevant authorities to recover the remaining amount in these cases, adding that the Nazaha discloses such violations based on principles of transparency, protection of integrity and fighting corruption in all forms, in accordance with the provisions of the national strategy.

He called on citizens and expatriates to cooperate with the commission, and report any suspicion of corruption, according to the methods of reporting provided by Nazaha, as one of major partners in the eradication of corruption.

Meanwhile, Al-Ajlan noted that not all issues that Nazaha handles lead to the recovery of funds. He stressed that irregularities in management issues are high, compared to the issues of financial corruption.