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Authors: Abdullah Almahzari
Keywords: corruption, Saudi Arabia, King, anti-bribery, anti-corruption, corruption crackdown, law, Crown Prince
Abstract: In Riyadh, corruption is an epidemic for which an antidote has not yet been established. Just as in other developing countries, the epidemic is the widespread, its effects reaching from top high-ranking officials, down to the oppressed taxpayers. The corruption includes involvement of senior politicians and influential business people in the embezzlement and mismanagement of state funds. Currently, the Saudi Arabian government has taken a hard line against corruption, and its inevitable impediment of economic progress. The objective of this paper is to analyze the corruption atmosphere in Saudi Arabia and its far-reaching impacts on the socio-economic development of the country. Additionally, it gives an overview of the approaches undertaken by the government to curb corruption. Recently, the “anti-corruption law” was amended to focus more on public servants and influential business officials, as a way to curb corruption and protect government assets. Importantly, the newly created law is indiscriminative, and any person associated with cases of fraud will face arrest and prosecution, regardless of their status in society. In outline, having been confronted with recurring corruption cases, the government has sought to revive the country’s economic success through effective implementation of the new anti-corruption law. This is to be achieved through continuous auditing of government officials and corporate figureheads. The country’s economy is expected to boom as the war on corruption escalates.