An undisclosed number of health inspectors and official employees from Riyadh municipalities have been charged with taking bribes from the owners of commercial outlets while others are still under investigation, according to an official from the Mayor's Office. Solaiman Al-Buthi, head of Riyadh Mayoralty's Environmental Health Department, said that “a number of health officials” had been asked to respond to the accusations by investigation authorities. “Others have already been punished for criminal offenses,” Al-Buthi said. He assured store owners that any complaints received are dealt with the utmost seriousness and in complete confidentiality. “The department can be contacted by fax or email, and the issue will be dealt with in complete confidentiality by the investigation authorities,” he said. Those practices, he added, have involved accepting bribes or other offers to tempt officials to stray from regulations.
