Saudi Arabia has arrested royal guard officers after for awarding tenders to companies belonging to them and their acquaintances worth $106 mln (400 million Saudi riyals), according to an official source at the Kingdom’s anti-corruption authority.

The three royal guard officers were a retired major general, colonel, and lieutenant colonel who work in the contracts and procurement department. They were arrested alongside 21 businessmen and an expatriate of Arab nationality.

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“The officers were arrested for awarding tenders to companies belonging to them and their acquaintances, which violates the government procurement and tenders law, and manipulating quantities and illegally disbursing sums of money to those companies, and using their relatives to obtain money and purchase real estate inside and outside the Kingdom with the aim of not disclosing the sources of those sums,” a statement from the Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha) read.

The confiscated sums from their crimes reached so far $106 mln (400 million Saudi riyals) while investigations with the parties involved continue.

Nazaha also disclosed a second case involving the arrest of an employee at the Royal Court who previously worked in the Lands and Grants Department, and two citizens intermediaries. The former was arrested for finalizing the procedures of 79 royal grants for citizens in return for receiving cash from them through intermediaries. The total amount he received reached up to 2.1 million thousand Saudi riyals.

“The Authority affirms on the continuation to pursue anyone who exploits the public office to achieve personal gain or harm the public interest in any way possible, and that it will apply what the law rules against the violators with zero tolerance,” Nazaha said.