Saudi courts have received some 4,940 lawsuits filed against money defaulters over the past four months across 13 regions, local media have reported, quoting data released by the Ministry of Justice.

The General Court in Riyadh received the highest portion of complaints at 34 percent, or 1,670 cases, followed by Makkah Region (993), the Eastern Province (693) and Asir Region (364). Courts in Qasim, Tabuk, Hail, the Northern Border, Jazan, Najran, Baha, and Jouf collectively received 893 cases in the same period.

In a related development, a penal court in Riyadh has issued a preliminary ruling against a Saudi man, sentencing him to one and a half years in prison, and banning him from traveling abroad for five years. The young man was convicted of disrespecting the leaders of the Kingdom and receiving a sum of SR8,000 with the intent of sending it to an ISIL fighter in Syria.