A court has ordered a Saudi citizen to pay an Indian expat SR43 million in compensation within five days.

The plaintiff, an investor at a medical facility that he manages in north Jeddah, had originally come up with an idea to launch a full-scale hospital, after which construction began and staff from India and Pakistan was recruited.

A dispute, however, erupted between the plaintiff and his Saudi partner, resulting in the project being stalled, the name of the project being changed and the workers on site being repatriated to their home countries.

The plaintiff then approached the General Court in Jeddah with his lawyer, Sulaiman Al-Hanini, who requested police involvement in the case of non-compliance within the five days, according to sources.

Justice Sami Al-Atiq issued the verdict. “The court directed authorities to implement the court order within five days. The defendant will be banned from traveling or having any power of attorney if he fails to comply with the ruling,” sources said.