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RIYADH – The Contractors Committee at the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry has urged authorities to cancel fines imposed on some companies for the delay in renewing iqamas (residence permits) of their workers, saying the delay was caused by Shamoon2 virus that recently affected computers in several government offices.
“Electronic transactions of government departments stopped after Shamoon2 hit their websites. So the delay was caused for reasons beyond their control,” said Saleh Al-Habdan, chairman of the committee. He urged authorities to return the fined amount to the companies.
National Center for Cybersecurity at Interior Ministry affirmed earlier this month that Saudi Arabia was still facing Shimoon2 virus risk. The center said it was coordinating with government departments and agents to prevent any cyber attack.
The committee said government departments were not fulfilling contract terms that include extension of the contract period if there was a delay in payment.
“Our meeting decided to contact government departments to press for implementing this article of the contract,” Al-Habdan told Al-Madina Arabic daily.
The committee also discussed issues related to all types of insurance and decided to hold a lecture on the subject in the first quarter of this year to educate contractors.
The meeting reviewed preparations of contracting companies to restructure their administration and operations in line with the national transformation program.
© The Saudi Gazette 2017
