A court on Wednesday acquitted three former presidents of a soccer club in the city of charges related to bribery and illegally obtaining aerial photographs of public land. Three government employees, one of them an honorary member of the soccer club, also appeared before the administrative court to face charges in connection with illegal trading activity. The court found the first and second defendants guilty of engaging in trade while holding government jobs in violation of the civil service law. They were each fined SR10,000. The hearing in the case last week witnessed heated arguments between the six defendants, all of them respected figures in society, and the representative of the Control and Investigation Board who charged them with receiving bribes and illegally obtaining aerial photographs of land in the Dhahban area outside Jeddah. The case surfaced during investigations into the first flood disaster in the city. During Wednesday's session, the first defendant requested Saad Al-Maliki, presiding judge of the three-judge panel, to order an in-camera hearing because he had vital information to reveal to the court. Allowing his request, the judge ordered reporters and defense lawyers to leave the courtroom. They were called back after an hour. The six defendants have retracted their earlier testimonies alleging that they were extracted under duress, which the board's representative denied. After the hearing, the court took a 30-minute recess for consultation with the panel members. Al-Maliki acquitted the first, second and fifth defendants of bribery charges. He also acquitted the third and fourth defendants of abetting the crime. The first and second defendants were found guilty of engaging in trade activity while holding government jobs. They were fined SR10,000 each. All six defendants expressed their satisfaction with the verdict while the prosecution said it will contest the ruling. __
