Saudi Arabia: Authorities in Saudi Arabia said six people have been convicted of money laundering charges and sentenced to 31 years in prison, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday, citing the Public Prosecution.

A source said the court also confiscated the seized funds and issued fines amounting to SR152 million ($40.4 million), equivalent to the value of the illegal funds smuggled abroad.

The Public Prosecution source said that the investigations showed that a number of citizens who owned commercial entities, including a furniture upholstery and a flower shop, and a number of fake establishments, as well as some expatriates, were involved in money laundering transactions.

He added that the citizens allowed the expats to use their bank accounts in exchange for a monthly fee of SR10,000 as a cover-up in transferring the illegal funds out of the Kingdom, under the guise of practicing false commercial activity, which is a criminal act according to Article 2 of the Anti-Money Laundering Law.

The court ruling also issued a travel ban on the Saudi nationals for a period equivalent to their imprisonment, while the foreign nationals are to be deported to their home countries after completing their prison terms.

The source said the concerted efforts and coordination between the Public Prosecution and the control and inference bodies represented by the Ministry of Commerce, the General Authority for Zakat, Tax and Customs, and the Saudi Central Bank, were able to achieve the desired results.

He added that the Public Prosecution will not hesitate to demand severe penalties against those who try to harm the Kingdom’s financial and economic security.