A former deputy mayor of Jeddah has admitted to his mistakes while appearing before a District Court here to answer accusations that his negligence led to the catastrophic flood deaths. According to the charge sheet, the retired deputy mayor, is accused of causing the deaths of innocent people and damage to public and private property. There are also five other charges being considered by the Bureau of Grievances regarding the flood catastrophe that hit Jeddah in 2009. The accused former official admitted he made poor decisions regarding a concrete flood tunnel at Faraj Al-Musa'ed Plot in Quwaiza District. The ex-official said that he asked the then Jeddah mayor to allow citizens to build houses on lands located in the flood course. He also proposed a flood canal to pass through Umm Al-Khair plot, despite regulations prohibiting citizens from building in the valleys. However, his lawyer insisted that the Jeddah District Court does not have jurisdiction to try the case. He claims that as the case relates to the administrative duties of the former deputy mayor, it should be referred to the Administrative Court. He also told the court that jurisdiction is one of the first things that must be discussed before looking into the details of the accusations against his client. __
