Dammam: More than two hundred and fifty benami cases detected by the Ministry of Commerce in Saudi Arabia have been handed over to public prosecution for further action. The Ministry of Commerce also revealed that in many of these cases, the trial has been completed and the final sentence has been pronounced. During the last seven months, so many cases have been registered and the proceedings against the criminals have been completed.
The action is taken in the cases identified by the Ministry of Commerce and the Anti-Benami Committee. 254 cases have been recorded in the country in the last seven months. These have been handed over to the public prosecution for further action. The ministry also stated that the prosecution has completed the trial in several cases and the court has issued the verdicts. In the remaining cases, the legal process is being completed. The accused will be punished with imprisonment of up to five years and a fine of up to fifty lakh riyals.
Money earned through benami business will be confiscated as per the court order. Violators can also face the following penalties: closure of the establishment, cancellation of license and commercial registration, ban on the offending Saudi nationals from operating in the business sector, collection of statutory zakat, fees and taxes, deportation of the offending foreigners from Saudi Arabia after completion of their sentence, and lifetime ban on such persons from re-entering Saudi Arabia on a new work visa.