According to the president of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, Nazaha, it is rare for service projects to be executed perfectly and as required. This flaw in execution is due to the weak control of consultants and the body supervising the project as well as the fact that “some managers do not know anything about their projects”, Muhammad Al-Sharief said.
Al-Sharief was a guest speaker Sunday on the Kingdom Dialogues YouTube channel, an initiative by the King Abdul Aziz Center for National Dialogue.
He said Nazaha had approached mayors on the delayed state of excavations and public facilities, which "does not befit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.” He said given the large funds allocated to these projects, they should not be delayed.
The Nazaha chairman criticized the excessive project costs, which, he said, are the highest in the world currently. However, the commission had no evidence of corruption or that the costs were overpriced. He called on the government to adopt a policy of owning its buildings instead of renting them.
He said Nazaha did not “completely” review government bidding offers, adding that the commission is currently investigating cases involving the purchase of equipment at more than their real value.
Al-Sharief affirmed that family name does not affect the commission when carrying out its tasks, and that Nazaha’s main principle is “complete transparency.” There are no exceptions in monitoring persons suspected of being involved in corruption, he asserted.
Some government departments do not respond to Nazaha’s direct queries, Al-Sharief said, adding that the commission is not focusing on the Ministry of Health, because there are many reports against it.
The profession of “moaqqib” — someone who has the power of attorney to handle someone else’s government affairs and paperwork — should be dissolved. “There should be no moaqqibs in the country,” he said.
Al-Sharief said the country’s procurement regulations stipulated on awarding projects to the bidders with the lowest price that meet the conditions. Awarding projects to the lowest bidder irrespective of conditions regarding the execution of the project is a type of corruption, he said. Not every bid is offered to the commission for review, although it has followed up public works projects and operation and maintenance contracts.
Al-Sharief said the commission had several cases related to purchasing equipment and machinery for prices higher than their costs in the projects’ preliminary assessments and estimations based on the Saudi construction code.
Concerning direct awarding (without bidding) of projects, he said this should not be implemented if the project’s cost is high.
Asked about his opinion regarding calls for turning Nazaha into a ministry, he said it would weaken its performance, adding that the commission is independent and cannot be linked to a ministry.
On naming and shaming violators, he said this was not in the commission’s power, because it is considered a punishment and the violator a defendant. “The commission requests the court to name and shame violators when it refers cases to them,” he said.
Saudi projects ‘imperfect and too expensive’
