Owner detained over fatal building collapse in Jeddah

The owner of a building that collapsed in Jeddah at the end of May, killing seven people and injuring another eight, has been detained, the Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority announced on Thursday.

The authority found that the building owner, Firas Hani Jamal Al-Turki, the deputy minister for shared services at the Ministry of Culture, had tried to apply for a building permit.

The local municipality ordered Al-Turki to stop construction on the building after it was found to have technical defects, but he failed to comply.

Al-Turki’s legal representative, Fahad Hussein Ali Sanba, who works at the same ministry department, communicated with an engineering consultancy office owned by a Saudi citizen, Majed Mohammed Jameel Bushnaq, through a Yemeni intermediary contractor, Mohammed Salim Ahmed Al-Hussaissi, the authority said.

The legal representative sought to obtain a building permit through the office to construct two additional floors and an upper annex. Subsequently, an employee of the engineering office submitted a request for a demolition permit, followed by a request for a building permit containing false information, including doctored photos indicating that the building had been demolished, in exchange for SR50,000 ($13,325).

Al-Turki transferred the money to his legal representative, who then handed it to one of the office employees in cash. The project contractor proceeded with the construction, leading to increased loads and the collapse of the building.

The building owner admitted to paying the financial amount as a bribe in exchange for the illegal issuance of the building permit.

All individuals involved have been detained and legal proceedings are being taken against them, the authority said.