5 jailed for gold smuggling; over SAR 6M seized: Commerce Ministry

Logo of Ministry of Commerce

The Ministry of Commerce announced a defamation ruling against a Saudi national and four Yemeni residents for the commercial concealment in the local gold and jewelry sector, based on a judicial ruling from the Medina Municipal Court endorsing their crimes through two facilities in Madinah and Najran.

The convicted individuals received a 14-year imprisonment sentence in total, according to a ministerial statement today, March 3. In details, the Saudi national was granted a three-year sentence, while three of the Yemeni residents were sentenced for a similar term. The fourth Yemeni got a two-year sentence for supervising the illicit funds.

Further, penalties included seizing over SAR 6 million in crime-related cash proceeds, 28 kilograms of gold, a private vehicle and a smart phone.

This is besides imposing a SAR 100,000 fine, liquidating the said business, and banning the Saudi national from conducting commercial activities for five years. Additionally, the convicted Yemeni residents were deported with a ban on returning to work in Saudi Arabia.