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MAKKAH: Thirteen people charged with involvement in the fall of a construction crane at the Grand Mosque in Makkah last year will face trial in the Criminal Court in Makkah next week.
A website, quoting unnamed sources, said all but one of the accused would be present in court. The person not attending court on health grounds will be represented by his lawyer.
The Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution in Makkah has completed its investigation in the case and has referred it to the Criminal Court. The incident, which took place during last Haj season, resulted in the deaths of 107 people and the injury to 238 others.
Earlier it was reported that the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution had identified 40 people who will face charges. The files of the accused were transferred from Riyadh to Makkah, where the state prosecutor was expected to add several more names.
It was reported earlier this year that out of the 40 on the list, 10 were government officials, while the remaining were managers, technicians and engineers working on the massive expansion project at the Grand Mosque.
An initial investigation revealed that the crane had fallen because of negligence involving several employees of the Saudi Binladin Group. These people were named in the report sent to the public prosecutor’s office in Riyadh.
Soon after the incident, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman ordered massive payouts to the families of those killed and injured in the tragedy.
He announced payment of SR1 million for each victim’s family, SR1 million to those whose injuries resulted in permanent disability, and SR500,000 for each of the injured.
The king said that these payments would not prevent the families of the deceased and the injured from launching lawsuits through the courts for compensation.