Five officials of the Jeddah Municipality have been charged with accepting a SR600,000 bribe from a wedding hall owner to turn a blind eye to violations within the premises.

One of the officials, who works at a department that issues construction permits, denied charges of bribery when allegations surfaced that money had been transferred to his account from a fellow employee.

The defendant maintained that he had transferred the money, which he alleges was paid by an establishment that owes SR3 million in penalties, to a colleague in his capacity as a municipality employee.

The judge, however, ruled that the money should have been paid to the municipality's account.

During the hearing, the second defendant, who was the recipient of the partial sum, had hesitated to answer a question about the type of fine that was being paid off.

The defendants maintained their innocence, saying the money was substantiated with new permits for the establishment that had paid the fine.

The municipality refuted these claims, saying that the amount paid did not match the SR3 million figure.