Al-Hayat

Saudi police recently arrested a Saudi tycoon who had failed to pay back loans from banks and finance companies valued at SR11 billion. The arrest came after the businessman failed to appear in court several times. Police raided his mansion to arrest him.

We do not often see the higher authorities in Saudi Arabia working with the police in arresting businessmen. This is quite rare in the Kingdom. Such individuals are usually blocked from accessing government services. They are also often prevented from traveling abroad.

This man, however, continued to delay payment to his lenders, something that significantly impacted banks and the economy. The arrest of the man was covered both by local and foreign media, as foreign banks were also involved.

The police searched the man’s mansion for several hours and found him hiding in a small room on the roof. I wonder why the media did not fully cover the arrest; they should have, as his arrest is a reflection of the way the authorities are taking serious steps against corruption. This is regardless of whether those involved are businessmen, senior government officials or ministers.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman ordered the man’s arrest. The King never misses an opportunity to remind government officials of the consequences of corruption. Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman said no one, regardless of whether he is a prince or a minister, could get away with corruption and that anyone found guilty would be held accountable.

A similar decision was made a few months ago when the government suspended and removed a minister from his position due to corruption. Anyone who has been closely following the news in the Kingdom must have noticed the Saudi leadership’s drastic measures against all types of corruption. Who would have thought that the authorities would order a businessman to demolish a part of his villa that had encroached onto the street for 25 years? Who would have thought that the authorities would order another businessman to pay rent for using public land for 30 years? The Ministry of Justice has also taken control of land totaling some 1.6 billion square meters from people who were in possession of false title deeds.

Though the media coverage of the man’s arrest was poor, the arrest itself was huge in many parts of the world. People want one thing from the media and that is sufficient coverage of events.