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| Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, shown here attending an investment forum in October, has launched a sweeping purge (AFP Photo/FAYEZ NURELDINE) |
Riyadh
(AFP) - Most of those detained in a sweeping anti-corruption purge of the Saudi
elite have struck monetary settlements in exchange for their freedom, the
attorney general said Tuesday, a month after they were locked up in a 5-star
hotel.
Dozens of
high-profile figures including princes, ministers and tycoons are being held in
Riyadh's Ritz-Carlton hotel, now a makeshift luxury prison, in the biggest
sweep of the kingdom's elite in its recent history.
Some 320
people were called in for questioning and 159 people are currently being
detained, many of whom have agreed to a "settlement", or handing over
allegedly ill-gotten gains to the Saudi state treasury, attorney general Sheikh
Saud al-Mojeb said.
"The
necessary arrangements are being finalised to conclude such agreements,"
Mojeb said in a statement.
The
attorney general has previously said he estimates at least $100 billion has
been lost in embezzlement or corruption over several decades.
His latest
statement comes after Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, the former National Guard
chief once seen as a contender to the throne, was released last week following
a settlement reportedly exceeding $1 billion.
Some
analysts saw Prince Miteb's removal as an attempt by Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman, who is also Saudi defence minister, to consolidate his control over the
security services.
But Saudi
authorities insist the purge was meant solely to target endemic corruption as
the kingdom seeks to diversify its oil-dependent economy.
In a recent
interview to The New York Times, Prince Mohammed described as
"ludicrous" reports equating the crackdown to a power grab, saying
that many of those detained at the opulent Ritz-Carlton had already pledged
allegiance to him.
The
attorney general said the bank accounts of 376 people have been frozen, all of
whom are detained or linked to corruption allegations.
Saudi forces
also grounded private jets at airports, possibly to prevent high-profile
figures from leaving the country, an aviation source told AFP.
The purge
has triggered uncertainty among businesses that could lead to capital flight or
derail reforms, experts say, at a time when the kingdom is seeking to attract
badly needed investments to offset a protracted oil slump.
Other
high-profile targets of the crackdown include billionaire Prince Al-Waleed bin
Talal, dubbed the Warren Buffett of Saudi Arabia. The government has not
commented on his current status.
The
crackdown has exposed the kingdom's once-untouchable elite to rare public
scrutiny -- Saudis on social media have quipped that the Ritz-Carlton was not
the worst place to be trapped.
Riyadh's palatial Ritz-Carlton has reportedly morphed into a makeshift prison after the kingdom's unprecedented crackdown on its coddled elite https://t.co/F3DQZMuHCu— AFP news agency (@AFP) November 10, 2017
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