Former deputy mayor, who admitted his ‘mistakes' during Jeddah floods, will appear in the General Court Tuesday to face a number of charges foremost of which relate to causing the loss of lives and damage to private and public property. Okaz/Saudi Gazette has learned that the former deputy mayor in his testimony admitted that he made a proposal to construct a concrete tunnel in the flood course basin in Quwaizah and requested the then mayor of Jeddah to allow citizens to build their houses on the lands located on the flood course. He also admitted to suggesting the construction of a flood canal to pass through Umm Al-Khair District, which violates Royal orders and directives, that ban construction and ownership of land in valley beds. He said in the testimony, which was approved by the court, that he made a mistake during the demarcation of the valley course in the field and requested the then mayor to approve it as site for residential plots. He said his actions were unintentional and attributed his mistake to a lack of aerial photographs and maps on eastern Jeddah, which define the courses of the floods and valleys accurately. The Prosecutor General has presented a set of 13 circumstantial evidences against the former deputy mayor, who was in-charge of the flood canals and its networks, holding him directly responsible for the Jeddah disaster and has asked the court to issue a deterrent corporal punishment against him. In the session which will be held Tuesday, the former deputy mayor will hand over his reply to the charge sheet. He insists that he did not deliberately intend to cause damage to citizens. The investigations carried out by the fact-finding committee ordered by King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, not only proved his culpability but also held him guilty of committing several other crimes such as taking bribery, committing negligence and squandering public funds. __
