The Administrative Court of Appeal in Jeddah endorsed the ruling to impose prison sentences on 53 convicts in Jeddah floods lawsuits and the re-trial of 16 accused.
Familiar sources with the court was quoted as saying to local media that in all 138 people were accused in Jeddah floods, half of whom have been acquitted.
The rulings against 10 accused will take time until the end of their re-trial. The Administrative Court in Jeddah will embark on the process of re-trial within next few weeks.
The sources said the advocate defending the remaining 16 accused said they submitted new documents and evidences in their defense. He demanded retrial of his clients to consider the new documents and evidences.
Those accused in floods disaster included former officials who worked in service sectors, managers in companies and construction firms, businessmen and engineers, other employees and brokers.
Out of those convicted, 69 people were charged of bribery, forgery, misusing their official position and interference. Sentences of prison and fines were imposed on the convicted.
The trials on Jeddah floods have been going on since 4 years through weekly sessions. The charges included causing deaths, destruction of private and public properties, bribery, forgery and many other charges.
Prison sentences for 53 convicts in Jeddah floods
Prison sentences for 53 convicts in Jeddah floods
Saudi Arabia launches initiative to reroute Gulf cargo to Red Sea ports
- The initiative comes as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has been severely disrupted by the widening conflict in the region
- Since the US and Israel struck Iran last month, Tehran has moved to restrict passage through the waterway
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has launched an initiative to redirect shipping from ports in the Arabian Gulf to its Red Sea ports amid the ongoing US-Israel-Iran war.
Transport Minister Saleh Al-Jasser, who also chairs the Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani), launched the Logistics Corridors Initiative alongside Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority Governor Suhail Abanmi, Mawani President Suliman Al-Mazroua, and other officials, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The initiative will establish dedicated operational corridors to receive containers and cargo redirected from ports in the Kingdom's Eastern Region and other Gulf Cooperation Council states to Jeddah Islamic Port and other Red Sea coast ports.
Al-Jasser said the Kingdom was committed to ensuring supply-chain stability and the smooth flow of goods through global trade routes. Jeddah Islamic Port and other west coast ports, he added, were already playing a key role in accommodating shipments redirected from the east, while also linking Gulf cargo to regional and international markets.
The initiative comes as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has been severely disrupted by the widening conflict in the region. Iran has long threatened to close the strait — the world's most critical oil and gas chokepoint, through which roughly a fifth of global oil supplies pass — in the event of a war.
Since the US and Israel struck Iran last month, Tehran has moved to restrict passage through the waterway, sending freight rates soaring and forcing shipping companies to seek alternative routes.
Saudi Arabia's Red Sea ports offer a viable bypass, connecting Gulf cargo to global markets without passing through the strait.
