RIYADH — The disciplinary action against 126 municipal employees across the Kingdom on corruption charges comes within 33 days after Minister of Commerce and Industry Majed Al-Qasabi assumed the additional portfolio of Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs. This happened after the repeated denial by former municipal and rural affairs minister Abdullatief Al-Asheikh of any corruption or malpractices at his ministry during his tenure that lasted 1,347 days. The ministry said on Twitter on Tuesday that it suspended 126 government employees at municipalities across the Kingdom on corruption charges. "They are charged with involvement in a number of cases including financial and administrative corruption, abuse of power as well as other legal and criminal violations," the ministry said. Al-Asheikh's remarks during a press briefing on the sidelines of a seminar on stalled government projects in April 2015 had sparked widespread anger and criticism amid reports of inefficiency on the part of various municipalities in implementing several projects. In a report published on Dec. 28, Okaz/Saudi Gazette attributed this as the major reason from Al-Asheikh from the ministry and appointing Al-Qasabi as the acting minister of municipal and rural affairs. Some reliable sources emphasized that the performance of several municipalities across the Kingdom is far from satisfaction in realizing the goals of Vision 2030. There has been popular resentment against these municipalities as they failed to fulfill the aspirations of the people as the major public utility service provider. At a time when most of the ministries have registered a qualitative leap in their performances, the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs was an exception with no improvement worth mentioning in its overall performance.
