Riyadh: A Criminal Court of Appeal in Makkah Al-Mukarramah on Tuesday fined the Saudi Bin Laden Group 20 million Saudi riyals (Rs 44,15,47,962) after finding it guilty of negligence and safety breaches in the Makkah Grand Mosque crane crash case, local media reported.
The Criminal Court of Appeal in Makkah Al-Mukarramah ruled that the company should not be required to pay blood money to the relatives of those killed in the accident.
According to Arabic daily Okaz, seven people were found guilty, with three to be imprisoned for six months and a fine of 30,000 riyals, and four others were imprisoned for three months and a fine of 15,000 riyals.
On September 11, 2015, a crane collapsed in the Grand Mosque in Makkah during the Haj season due to strong winds and heavy rains, killing 110 people and injuring 209 others, including many foreigners, leaving “material damage” to the building of the Grand Mosque of Makkah.
At that time, the Saudi authorities imposed severe penalties against the Saudi Bin Laden Group, which was in charge of developing and expanding the Grand Mosque in Makkah, with the aim of accommodating the increasing numbers of pilgrims and Umrah performers.
The penalties included preventing from participating in any tenders for government projects.
After investigations that lasted eight months, the case was referred to the Criminal Court in Makkah, and charges of negligence were brought against a number of defendants, before the court acquitted 13 defendants in the case.
In July 2022, the Supreme Court ordered a reconsideration of the case and the overturning of previous verdicts that acquitted 13 defendants, including the Bin Laden Group.
