Saudi Oger says delayed wages under investigation

Saudi Oger has hit out at “false accusations” by MBC TV host Dawood al-Shirian concerning its unpaid wages issue, and plans to take legal action against him, according to a statement posted by the company on its official Twitter account Wednesday.

The construction firm accused the host of trying to hurt its reputation, adding that Al-Shirian is aware that Saudi authorities are looking into the delayed wages case.

While Saudi Oger appreciates constructive criticism, it feels that the TV presenter has been targeting it since 2012, and will therefore take legal action, the statement added.

Like other contractors in the kingdom, Saudi Oger has struggled to pay wages owed to its workers amid a wider slowdown in the Saudi construction sector, following the plunge in oil prices in mid-2014.

The financially troubled company, which is owned by the family of Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Saad al-Hariri, is still waiting for the findings of a government-commissioned review into its multibillion-dollar projects across the kingdom, Reuters reported on Tuesday.