King Salman orders protection of whistleblowers in corruption cases

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdul Aziz has ordered authorities to provide protection to whistleblowers in corruption cases, “after some were mistreated following the submission of such reports,” the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

“Employees are not to be threatened regarding job security, benefits or rights. The Royal Order stipulates that the National Anti-Corruption Commission shall report entities that take disciplinary action against employees or threaten their rights or job benefits if they report corrupt practices to the Commission,” said Khalid Al-Muhaisen, chairman of the Saudi National Anti-Corruption Commission (Nazaha). 

In November last year, King Salman ordered the launch of a Supreme Anti-Corruption Committee in Saudi Arabia as part of efforts aimed at tackling corruption in the Kingdom in recent decades.

Saudi authorities have said that tens of billions of US dollars had been misappropriated through corruption and embezzlement, over the course of several decades.