The trial of Abdul Aziz Al-Jihani, the 42-year-old mastermind of what is known in the Kingdom as the SR1.2 billion SAWA card scam, has finally come to an end with the Jeddah Summary Court sentencing him yesterday to 20 years in jail and 1,000 lashes.
Al-Jihani's lawyer, Hisham Hanbouli, described his client's sentence as "very harsh" and said he would appeal the verdict at the Court of Cassation. "The verdict is more severe than in other such cases where defendants received prison terms ranging from 10 to 15 years, which were later reduced," Hanbouli said.
Al-Jihani, a former STC security guard, has been found guilty of defrauding thousands of investors by claiming to have access to SAWA calling cards at about 80 percent of their face value. The man was accused and found guilty of creating an investment scam where he sold shares in his venture to sell these cards in the market at face value with promises to distribute the profits among the investors.
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