RIYADH: The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, in a royal decree, ordered a lavish payout to all state employees yesterday and reshuffled some top government jobs.
The kingdom will pay two months of bonus salary to all state employees and pension to retired government workers.
In the cabinet revamp, Prince Turki bin Abdullah has been relieved as governor of Riyadh, and so is Prince Mishaal bin Abdullah as Makkah governor.
Prince Faisal bin Bandar was replaced as Qassim governor by Prince Faisal bin Mishaal and appointed as Riyadh governor.
Health Minister Prince Faisal bin Abdulaziz was given back his former post as governor of Makkah. Ahmed Al Khateeb is the new health minister. Prince Khaled Bandar was removed as intelligence chief and replaced by Brig Gen Khaled Al Humaidan.
Prince Bandar bin Sultan was removed as National Security Council chief. Prince Miteb bin Abdullah remains as Minister of the National Guard.
King Salman kept in place Oil Minister Ali bin Ibrahim Al Nuaimi, Finance Minister Ibrahim Al Assaf and Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal.
Appointed as chief of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Haia) was Dr Abdul Rahman Al Sanad, erstwhile president of Madinah Islamic University.
Adil Turaifi was named minister of information, Saleh Al Shaikh is the new minister of Islamic Affairs, Abdul Latif Al Shaikh was made minister of municipal and rural affairs, and Mansour bin Mit’eb is the new state minister.
Dr Azzam Al Dakhil was named minister of the merged education and higher education ministries, now to be known as Education Ministry. Mohammed Abdullah Al Jadaan is the new Capital Market Authority chief and Khaled Al Mohaisen is new chief of the anti-corruption watchdog Nazaha.
Prince Abdul Aziz bin Salman was named deputy oil minister. Named IT minister was Mohammed Al Suwaiyyel, current chief of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology. Nabeel Al Amoudi is the new chief of Saudi Ports Authority. Agencies
