Saudi Arabia arrests 127 government officials for bribery, abuse of authority

Saudi Arabia has arrested 127 officials for corruption during the month of January 2026, Nazaha, the Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority in the Kingdom, said on Sunday, February 1.

In the first month of the year, the authority made 1,543 visits to check government ministries for any sign of corruption or wrongdoing. The number of suspects on whom these oversight checks was conducted was 383.

Recommended For You

Dubai court sentences man to jail for impersonating judge in Dh3.15-million WhatsApp scam

CEO Will Lewis leaves Washington Post after sweeping job cuts

Second round of trilateral talks on Ukraine in Abu Dhabi was 'constructive', UAE says

India: 2 killed, several injured in building collapse in Kota

Sheikh Saif’s viral speech: 6 things he said that will make you proud to be from UAE

 

The 127 employees caught during these checks in January 2026 were from the following government departments:

• Ministry of Interior

• Ministry of Defence

• Ministry of Education

• Ministry of Municipalities and Housing

• Ministry of Health

Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.

The officials arrested were caught on counts of bribery and abuse of authority.

However, the anti-corruption authority said that of the 127 arrested, some have been released on bail.

The number of arrests has gone up from last month, December 2025, when it was 116 from fewer departments — the ministries of Municipalities and Housing, Interior, Education and Health.

While the number of oversight visits was lower, the number of suspects was 466 — around 80 higher than that of January 2026.

Written by

Supreeta Balasubramanian

Supreeta is a digital journalist who reads between the lines as she churns out stories. She finds joy in K-pop, exploring new hobbies, and tackling her never-ending list of books to read.