n Former mayor and director general of water among those set for questioningMansour Al-ShIhri & Adnan ShabrawiJEDDAH: A former Jeddah mayor and another former director general at the Ministry of Water are among a number of top officials who will be grilled next week by the Control and Investigation Board (CIB) and the Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution (BIP) for their alleged wrongdoing during the 2009 Jeddah floods. A total of 302 people and 32 legal entities, representing companies, organizations and consultation offices, have been identified for questioning, said a statement by the Ministry of Interior Wednesday. It said the action was taken to identify the suspects in accordance with a Royal Order dated May 11, 2010 which stipulates that the cases be referred to the CIB and BIP. This is to determine who is responsible for the harm and damages caused by the flood disaster. The suspects will be interrogated to determine criminal and administrative responsibility, if any, in preparation for standing trial. The courts will determine penalties for all those found guilty. The public will be informed of any developments in the cases, the statement said. Sources told Okaz/Saudi Gazette that many of those who will be questioned have previously been investigated by criminal investigation committees. Others facing interrogation include officials from the Jeddah Mayoralty, National Water Company (NWC), a notary public office, businessmen, directors general of contracting companies, technical consultants and engineers. The sources told Okaz/Saudi Gazette Wednesday that some of the accused have attested their testimonies according to the Shariah, while others have refused to do so before the investigation committees. It has also been learnt that a joint team from the BIP and CIB would organize the charge sheets when the accused are referred to the courts. According to the sources, the CIB has detected various administrative violations, including negligence. Administrative penalties would be meted out to the violators without the need for referral to the judiciary. The penalties would include admitting the violation, salary deductions not exceeding three months, or written warnings. A number of specialist engineers have estimated that the 2009 floods caused SR7 billion damage to residential buildings. Residents have claimed that the roads were of poor quality, there was weak engineering supervision and unqualified contractors appointed to carry out the work. The first Jeddah flood disaster investigators discovered that the execution of the roads and other projects had changed the flood routes and resulted in the water rushing into residential districts. The situation was exacerbated by lack of flood canals and sanitary and rainwater drainage networks, including the poor quality of filling materials and asphalt used to construct the streets. Specialists have proposed solutions including the construction of floodwater drainage canals for the entire Jeddah Governorate. This network would either be above the ground or underground.
