The Administrative Court in Jeddah brought an end Tuesday to the three-year saga of bribery allegations against 23 Taif municipality officials with sentences ranging between prison, dismissal from posts, and fines for 16 of the accused. The remaining seven were absolved of all charges. Defendants were accused of accepting bribes totaling SR1.4 million from private businessmen for the award of government grants, as well as wasting public funds, appropriating government funds for personal gain, falsification of commercial data, and collusion to supply electricity to buildings without the proper permits. Two private businessmen were also sentenced to fines of SR150,000.
