Cairo: The president of a Saudi university, sacked by King Salman earlier this week, is accused of embezzling a total of SR500 million, an anti-corruption official has said.
King Salman on Thursday issued a royal decree relieving Abdurrahman Al Youbi, of his position as the president of the King Abdulaziz university for purported involvement in influence peddling, embezzling the institution’s funds, money laundering and forgery, Saudi media reported.
The decree noted that the dismissal decision was based on a report filed by a state anti-graft agency over his alleged involvement in these crimes.
Other suspects in the case are being interrogated, Undersecretary of the Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority, Ahmed Al Hussain told Al Arabiya television.
He added that precautionary measures have been taken regarding the embezzled money to stop dealing in it pending legal steps to restore it to the state treasury.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has stepped up a crackdown on white-collar corruption, arresting dozens of state employees and entrepreneurs.