Suspicious transfers and illegal financial activities constitute a tributary to money laundering crimes and support for terrorism, behind which greedy greedy and implicated people neglect their national roles in reporting the perpetrators to become accomplices involved in cover-up crimes besieged by state agencies, and laws have been enacted to combat them and toughened penalties for perpetrators, which are obligatory crimes. For criminal accountability, and it is considered one of the major crimes that require arrest.
Examples of concealment include a citizen with a mental illness who was exploited by an expatriate of an Arab nationality who established a commercial establishment in Riyadh, took over its management and worked through it in the field of importing and selling automobile fabrics and leather for more than 17 years, and the expatriate charged the establishment with debts amounting to more than two million riyals, and the ministry closed down The headquarters of the institution and its warehouses, and summoned those responsible for it for investigation, while the case was referred to the Public Prosecution to complete the regular procedures and punish those involved.
The Ministry had received a communication submitted by the son of the citizen (the victim), in which he reported that an expatriate working as an employee in an institution exploited his father who had a mental illness for many years, explaining that he did not discover this matter early due to his young age, and the threads of the case were revealed after the person involved escaped to search. Another victim, after the end of the transfer of ownership of the establishment to another citizen, to ensure that the expatriate continues to work for his own account and that the first citizen falls victim to paying off his debts. Accordingly, the details of the complaint were followed up and verified.
cross border test
Evidence monitored by the Ministry showed the recording of the expatriate’s admission of owning shops in the Kingdom, and he revealed through a video interview that he had opened one of his shops in an Arab country, and he acknowledged owning 4 shops in it, in addition to his acknowledgment of owning shops in the Kingdom, and others in Dubai. In addition to a factory in India, the evidence also included the presence of official papers related to his personal accounts in foreign banks, and his investments in funds in huge amounts that do not match his job title.
The ministry revealed that searches and investigations took place that lasted for several days to verify and confirm the expatriate’s work location, during which his movements and his direct responsibility in managing the business of the corporation were followed up and monitored. A residential area south of Riyadh, through which it manages its business and documents are kept in it, while the process of storing goods takes place in warehouses hidden from view, and one of the relatives of the involved person who works as an accountant for the institution has been suspended.
Sneaky Villa
The ministry also seized the contract of sale of the institution from the affected citizen to the second party, and stipulated that the second party bear the foreign and domestic debts of the institution, knowing that the debts of the institution were paid by the sons and brothers of the first citizen, who is considered mentally ill and carries medical reports confirming that he is not responsible for his actions.
In another case, the Anti-Concealment Control documented one of the cases in which the concealed person was waiting for his acceptance to a job with a modest salary, although he allowed a concealed person to open a car workshop in his name, and on the contrary, the concealed person lived in a luxurious life and owned a villa in Riyadh, in the event that the citizen rented and did not He owns a residence of his own, and the investigations showed that the concealer owns an apartment in Dubai, a luxury car, and an expensive motorcycle, and the concealer has nothing but cover-up cases that make him guilty before the competent authorities.
burden on the economy of countries
A member of the Saudi Economic Society, Dr. Abdullah Al-Maghlouth, confirmed that concealment and the hidden economy are an imminent danger and one of the threats to development, devastating societal damages, and barriers to collecting fees and taxes and supplying them to the state treasury. Government agencies to combat commercial concealment and regulate the market to reduce the size of the shadow economy from the total economy. Al-Maghlouth indicated that the economy is exposed to severe damage due to the crime of concealment.
Therefore, the concealment must be fought, which will contribute to reducing the number of expatriate workers and their control over markets and some sectors, and will reduce money laundering crimes, and will contribute to protecting the economy and society and the expected security repercussions that will occur due to expatriate workers’ crimes. It will also contribute to reducing the size of the shadow economy and addressing it security, economically and socially.
A member of the Saudi Economic Society explained that it is unfortunate that the citizen cooperates in return for meager sums that cause them to betray the homeland and bear serious cases and penalties that reach imprisonment and fines.
deterrent penalties
The legal advisor, Saif Ahmed Al-Hakami, confirmed that the penalty for violators of the anti-concealment system is imprisonment for a period not exceeding (5) years and a fine not exceeding (5) million riyals, or one of these two penalties, provided that when determining the penalty, the size of the economic activity that is the subject of the crime, and its revenues, is taken into account. , the duration of the activity, and the consequences of the crime.
Al-Hakami indicated that, according to the system, it is a crime punishable by the system for a person to enable a non-Saudi to practice – for his own account – an economic activity in the Kingdom that he is not authorized to practice, and this includes enabling a non-Saudi to use his name, license or approval issued to him, or his record. The commercial activity, or his trade name, or the like, as well as the practice of an economic activity by a non-Saudi for his own account in the Kingdom that he is not authorized to practice, through the person who can do so.
And he stressed that he is considered an accomplice in the crime whoever incites, assists or provides advice in committing it, knowing that whenever the crime is committed or continues based on this incitement, assistance or advice, in addition to obstructing or preventing the practice of those charged with implementing the provisions of the system from performing their duties in any way. means, including not disclosing information, or providing incorrect or misleading information.
Al-Hakami stressed that, according to the regulations and the system, it is considered a violation punishable by the system for any facility to illegally grant to a non-Saudi tools that lead to the absolute disposal of the facility, and the illegal possession or use of a non-Saudi of tools that lead to the absolute disposal of the facility. The establishment, in its dealings related to its economic activity, uses another bank account that does not belong to it.
Ibrahim Al-Alawi (Jeddah) @i_waleeed22