By Hadeel Al Sayegh
DUBAI (Reuters) -Saudi Arabia’s state oil giant Aramco expects to pay $31 billion in dividends to the Saudi government and its shareholders despite reporting lower earnings for the first quarter on Tuesday, hit by lower oil prices and volumes sold.
The Saudi government, which directly holds about 82.2% of Aramco, relies heavily on the company’s payouts, which also include royalties and taxes.
The kingdom, the world’s biggest…