HAIL: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry found that 120 private service offices in Hail and its governorates renewed Iqamas (residence permits) of 120 expatriates without knowing who employed them or if their employers were individuals or establishments, a source told Okaz/Saudi Gazette. The ministry discovered that some private service offices committed a number of violations in renewals of Iqamas, the source said, and the cases have been referred to the Investigation and General Prosecution Bureau in preparation for the suspects to stand trial at the Administrative Court. The Anti-Fraud Committee has registered violations against 120 private service offices for their involvement in renewing 120 Iqamas for workers without the knowledge of their employers, the source said. According to the law, suspected violators will be fined if they are found guilty and it's the office's first offense. Committees responsible for monitoring the offices have also found that many of them have swindled citizens through advertisements they have delivered to private homes. The ads, which claimed that the offices had visas to recruit domestic workers, attracted several people who were charged for the services while the offices did not have the visas, according to the source. Security authorities have arrested several owners of these offices, the source said.
