• A Saudi money exchanger wears a protective face mask and gloves as he counts Saudi riyal currency at a currency exchange shop in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia March 10, 2020. Reuters
    A Saudi money exchanger wears a protective face mask and gloves as he counts Saudi riyal currency at a currency exchange shop in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia March 10, 2020. Reuters
  • A view of a deserted street during a curfew imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease in the holy city of Makkah. Reuters
    A view of a deserted street during a curfew imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease in the holy city of Makkah. Reuters
  • Members of the Saudi armed forces attend prayers at a mosque in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Makkah on April 3, 2020. AFP
    Members of the Saudi armed forces attend prayers at a mosque in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Makkah on April 3, 2020. AFP
  • A view of a deserted street during a curfew imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease in the holy city of Makkah. Reuters
    A view of a deserted street during a curfew imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease in the holy city of Makkah. Reuters
  • A policeman wearing a protective face mask blocks the road during a curfew imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease in the holy city of Makkah. Reuters
    A policeman wearing a protective face mask blocks the road during a curfew imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease in the holy city of Makkah. Reuters
  • A combination of photos shows a small crowd of worshippers around the sacred Kaaba in Mecca's Grand Mosque on March 7, 2020, and a large crowd during the pilgrimage, on August 13, 2019. AFP
    A combination of photos shows a small crowd of worshippers around the sacred Kaaba in Mecca's Grand Mosque on March 7, 2020, and a large crowd during the pilgrimage, on August 13, 2019. AFP
  • Muslim worshippers circumambulate the sacred Kaaba in Makkah's Grand Mosque, Islam's holiest site, on April 3, 2020. AFP
    Muslim worshippers circumambulate the sacred Kaaba in Makkah's Grand Mosque, Islam's holiest site, on April 3, 2020. AFP
  • A man checks his phone as he crosses an empty street in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Makkah on April 3, 2020. AFP
    A man checks his phone as he crosses an empty street in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Makkah on April 3, 2020. AFP
  • A view of a deserted street during a curfew imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease in the holy city of Makkah. AFP
    A view of a deserted street during a curfew imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease in the holy city of Makkah. AFP
  • A view of a deserted street during a curfew imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease in the holy city of Makkah. AFP
    A view of a deserted street during a curfew imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease in the holy city of Makkah. AFP
  • A view of a deserted street during a curfew imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease in the holy city of Makkah. AFP
    A view of a deserted street during a curfew imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease in the holy city of Makkah. AFP
  • Birds are seen near the Grand Mosque during a curfew. Reuters
    Birds are seen near the Grand Mosque during a curfew. Reuters
  • Police officers man a checkpoint in a street in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Makkah on April 3, 2020. AFP
    Police officers man a checkpoint in a street in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Makkah on April 3, 2020. AFP
  • A view of a deserted street during a curfew imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease in the holy city of Makkah. AFP
    A view of a deserted street during a curfew imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease in the holy city of Makkah. AFP
  • A view of a deserted street during a curfew imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease in the holy city of Makkah. AFP
    A view of a deserted street during a curfew imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease in the holy city of Makkah. AFP
  • A view of a deserted street during a curfew imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease in the holy city of Makkah. AFP
    A view of a deserted street during a curfew imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease in the holy city of Makkah. AFP
  • The clock tower is lit up with the phrase "Home Heroes" during a curfew. Reuters
    The clock tower is lit up with the phrase "Home Heroes" during a curfew. Reuters
  • A view of a deserted street during a curfew imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease in the holy city of Makkah. Reuters
    A view of a deserted street during a curfew imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease in the holy city of Makkah. Reuters
  • The deserted old town of Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah. AFP
    The deserted old town of Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah. AFP
  • A view of a deserted street during a curfew imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease in the holy city of Makkah. Reuters
    A view of a deserted street during a curfew imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease in the holy city of Makkah. Reuters
  • The announcement comes amid uncertainty over the hajj which is due to take place at the end of July, after authorities this week urged Muslims to temporarily defer preparations for the annual pilgrimage. AFP
    The announcement comes amid uncertainty over the hajj which is due to take place at the end of July, after authorities this week urged Muslims to temporarily defer preparations for the annual pilgrimage. AFP
  • The measures bar people from entering and exiting the capital as well as Jeddah, Mecca and Medina and prohibiting movement between all provinces to stem the spread of coronavirus with the number of deaths from the disease rising to 21. AFP
    The measures bar people from entering and exiting the capital as well as Jeddah, Mecca and Medina and prohibiting movement between all provinces to stem the spread of coronavirus with the number of deaths from the disease rising to 21. AFP
  • Pigeons fly around closed shops in the old town of Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah on April 2, 2020. AFP
    Pigeons fly around closed shops in the old town of Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah on April 2, 2020. AFP
  • A vegetable seller wearing a protective face mask sells fruits and vegetables at a market before markets close, to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease, in Riyadh. Reuters
    A vegetable seller wearing a protective face mask sells fruits and vegetables at a market before markets close, to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease, in Riyadh. Reuters
  • Branded oil tanks at Saudi Aramco oil facility in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia. Reuters
    Branded oil tanks at Saudi Aramco oil facility in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia. Reuters

Saudi policeman attacked after refusing bribe for lockdown violation

Anti-corruption authority says suspects were detained and will face prosecution

The National

April 12, 2020

  • English
  • Arabic

A group of men attacked a Saudi police officer who refused to take a bribe when he stopped them for breaking the lockdown.

The Control and Anti-corruption Authority announced over the weekend that a group of men were arrested for assault and damaging a police vehicle. They were stopped for breaking the nightly restriction in the kingdom and then tried to pay officers to let them go, it said.

The kingdom has brought in curfews to stem the rising number of coronavirus cases, currently at 4,033 infections and 52 deaths.

The bureau said the men would be referred for criminal prosecution and it recommended the harshest sentences as it claimed they had “disregarded the efforts made by official authorities to combat this pandemic and assaulted security officers who dedicate themselves to serving the country and its people”.

Separately, the bureau said a judge and a colonel in the military were being investigated after reports they took money to influence verdicts.

The anti-corruption authority said that the judge and the colonel, who are brothers, took bribes to pass favourable verdicts and were also involved in money laundering, misuse of public office and appropriating public funds. A lawyer and a businessman were also involved in the case, the body reported. All have confessed during questioning and will now face trial.

The bureau said that the actions of the judge were not representative of the judicial system.

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