Hundreds of Saudi residents, particularly influential individuals, default on US scholarship grants, resulting in a loss of millions of dollars for US taxpayers. A report reveals that despite the United States releasing funds for scholarship grants in the names of a number of Saudi nationals who had been awarded a scholarship and subsequently abandoned their studies, a significant number of Saudi nationals who had applied for scholarships in the United States and been awarded a seat did not.
Numerous individuals were approached by the government to either continue their study or cancel their seats, but with little result. According to the reporter, now that the U.S. authorities have given a list of particular residents with the Saudi authorities, the Saudi authorities have expressed their dissatisfaction in the individuals responsible for the chaos.
The US and Saudi Arabian authorities have decided to create a joint group to track down and punish these individuals; many have been fined in Saudi Arabia and proceedings have been initiated against them; and some individuals, including some Saudi government officials, have recently been denied entry into the United States due to their names being on a blacklist. Because these scholarships were granted only to Saudi Nationals, the Saudi government urged its citizens to clean their reputations before it becomes an international issue.
