Otaibi, Mayor of Eastern Province, has promised to take legal action against those offering bribes to municipalities' employees and to publicly name them. Many employees are offered bribes by some individuals and company owners to look the other way and ignore certain violations, he added. Speaking on Saturday after honoring Farouq Dhaif Madani, 60, an Al-Khobar Municipality employee who refused to accept a bribe, Al-Otaibi said the Mayoralty is determined to reward and encourage outstanding employees in all departments, adding that Madani had set an example for the rest of the municipality employees in the region. He must be thanked for a noble act that indicates his loyalty to this country, the mayor said. He also presented a valuable gift to Madani. Madani was reportedly offered a bribe by an Asian expatriate during an inspection tour. He reported the matter to the police resulting in the arrest of the expatriate. Al-Otaibi added that many of those arrested in bribery cases were caught red-handed, tried and put in jail or sacked. The number of inspectors has been doubled since 2005, but still more are needed, he added.
