RIYADH — The National Anti-Corruption Commission (Nazaha) has exposed three employees of the Saudi Electric Company who were involved in corruption and fraud. A Nazaha source said the three men included a former official and two employees of SEC in the Eastern Province. He said the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution, which investigated the case, discovered that the three men colluded to extort SR80 million in company funds. "They purportedly signed eight contracts to develop software to unify operations in the company," said the source. The source said the fraud was discovered when another SEC employee reported it to the commission through its website. "The employee said there were violations in the execution of the project meant to unify the operation systems in the company. Nazaha investigated the report and concluded that an official and two employees were involved in fraudulent deals," said the source. The source said the employees claimed they purchased licenses when they had no official permissions to do so. "The purchase was undocumented and there were no quotations presented. The investigation also revealed the employees contracted with several foreign employees to work on projects that have already been accomplished," said the source. The source said the budget required for the submitted projects was altered several times which made the company grant more money than required. "Nazaha promotes transparency in all bureaucratic dealings. The commission encourages members of the public to report any cases of corruption they suspect in official dealings," said the source.
