Public Prosecution files major money laundering case with Criminal Court
. . . after officials were accused of betraying public trust for personal gain, Prosecution says manipulated draws were an organized crime, not a mistake
- Public office was misused, trust was betrayed, and the fairness of the draws was deliberately destroyed, harming participants and society as a whole.
- Incident violated the principle of fairness and equal opportunity and ignored the rights of the participants.
- Prosecution stressed that this was not a simple mistake or an individual act, but a serious crime involving several people
The Public Prosecution announced that it has officially filed a money laundering and manipulation case to the Criminal Court today, Monday, January 5, 2026.
The case relates to the manipulation of official draws supervised by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It was previously announced on October 28, 2025, and the accused were referred to criminal trial after investigations were completed.
A member of the investigation team, Deputy Prosecutor Omar Abdullah Al-Otaibi, represented the prosecution before the court, re[orts Al-Jarida daily.
He explained that the investigations uncovered an organized criminal plan that turned the draw process from a fair system based on equal opportunity into a tool for fraud, deception, and illegal personal benefit.
The prosecution stressed that this was not a simple mistake or an individual act, but a serious crime involving several people, each playing a role. Public office was misused, trust was betrayed, and the fairness of the draws was deliberately destroyed, harming participants and society as a whole.
According to the investigations, the draw procedures were intentionally manipulated, leading to false results and illegal profits.
This violated the principle of fairness and equal opportunity and ignored the rights of participants.
The prosecution said this type of crime is among the most dangerous, because it is committed in the name of public office and damages the trust that citizens place in state institutions.
The prosecution explained that video footage showed the first defendant (A.M.H.), who was responsible for ensuring the fairness of the draw, fraudulently conducting the process after arranging the result in advance to benefit one of the accused. He was seen hiding the participation slip inside his robe in front of attendees, cameras, and the media.
The prosecution said the video evidence clearly proved the crime and exposed the criminal plan, leaving no room for excuses or denial.
In its closing statement, the Public Prosecution said that bringing the accused before the court sends a strong message that corruption will not go unpunished, no matter how powerful or long-running it may be.
The prosecution concluded by requesting the maximum penalties allowed by law against all defendants.
