Contractors tasked with carrying out vital infrastructure projects in the Kingdom should be honest in their dealings with the government, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Aal Al-Sheikh, Grand Mufti and Chairman of the Board of Senior Ulema and Religious Research and Ifta Administration, has said. Coming down heavily on contractors delaying projects and thus wasting public funds, the Grand Mufti said that they will all be held accountable on the Day of Judgment for their misdeeds. Projects, he said, should only be awarded to those who have experience and “those responsible for projects should fear Allah the Almighty and should not cheat people,” the Grand Mufti warned. He also slammed contractors who divide one project up among several subcontractors to try to maximize their profits. This often means that a subcontractor ends up with too little money to complete a part of the project. “Money earned in this way is ill-gotten; it's haram and those responsible will be held accountable on the Day of Judgment,” he said. Several Shariah scholars said contractors who lie about the progress of public projects are indulging in sin and should be prosecuted. Besides, they said, contractors failing to implement projects in time should be treated as traitors. Dr. Abdulmohsen Al-Obaikan, Adviser at the Royal Court, agreed that those who fail to complete publicly-funded projects are sinners. “Anyone who lies in public and in front of the media about a public project or money should be punished.” Dr. Saud Al-Finisan, former dean of the Shariah School at Imam Muhammad Bin Saud University, said that it is haram not to implement public projects and to give and take bribes. “Those who lie about matters related to the general public will be held accountable on the Day of Resurrection.” Al-Finisan said that such people should be publicly punished as an example for others. Dr. Khaled Al-Qassim, Islamic Creed Professor at King Saud University, said: “Failure to implement a project is deception. There are many failures of projects for telecommunications, electricity, sanitation and tunnels. Those responsible cause a lot of damage and harm people. Money earned in this way is haram. Religion is not only about worship but also about the treatment of others.” Mosques should play a role in educating people about the gravity of failure and not fulfilling public responsibilities, Al-Qassim added. Dr. Abdullah Al-Mutlaq, a member of the Board of Senior Ulema and Adviser at the Royal Court, said that those who fail to implement public projects to save a large amount of money are traitors. “They don't value honesty and hard work.” __
