Reuters
Nov 5 2017
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
Saudi-Ethiopian business tycoon Mohammed Al-Amoudi has been one of the dozens of the richest and most powerfu men arrested Saturday night in an anti-corruption-drive in the oil-rich kingdom now under the control of 32-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Ethiomedia has confirmed.
Mohamed Al-Amoudi was referred to by Forbes in recent years as the second richest Arab, only excelled by Prince Prince Alaweed bin Talal, who is also in prison.
Al-Amoudi is detained in anti-corruption drive in Saudi Arabia
While businesses in the West are in shock, reformists have already begun to pour accolades of praise on the young prince.
“No one doubted that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was a man in a hurry. But the Saudi royal’s decision to arrest 11 princes, four ministers and dozens of former ministers shows he is a risk-taker on a scale the Middle East has rarely seen,” wrote the Guardian today.
Reuters has the details:
Police arrested 49 people including 11 princes, four ministers and tens of former ministers in raids across Riyadh, the Saudi capital, in the early hours of Sunday morning.,
Royal planes were grounded as authorities swooped in, corralling princes, former officials and media tycoons into five-star hotels across the capital for questioning.
The detainees include Prince Alaweed bin Talal, a multi-billionaire who has major stakes in News Corp, Citigroup and Twitter. He co-owns the Four Seasons hotel chain along with Microsoft’s Bill Gates, and he is sole owner of London’s landmark luxury hotel, the Savoy.
Also caught up in the purge was Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, the last of the late King Abdullah’s sons to hold a position of real power. Until yesterday, he was head of Saudi Arabia’s National Guard, which accounts for about half of the country’s military. The rest of the military answers directly Mohammad bin Salman.
Other arrests include Ibrahim al-Assaf, a former finance minister, Adel Fakieh, an economy minister, Prince Turki bin Abdullah, a former governor of Riyadh. Major business figures including Bakr bin Laden, chairman of the big Saudi Binladin construction group, and Alwaleed al-Ibrahim, owner of the MBC television network, were also detained.
In a statement, Saudi Arabia’s Attorney General said the actions carried out by the supreme anti-corruption committee, which was formed by order of King Salman, the Crown Prince’s father, on Saturday, were undertaken “as part of the state’s judicial duty to combat corruption”.
“The suspects are being granted the same rights and treatment as any other Saudi citizen. A suspect’s position or status does not influence the firm and fair application of justice,” said Sheikh Saud Al Mojeb, the Attorney General.
He vowed “a firm application of justice”, calling the operation “part of an overhaul to ensure transparency, openness and good governance.”
Some are calling it a power grab by Mohammad bin Salman, who has been effective head of government since King Salman appointed him crown prince in June 2017.
MBS, as he is often known, has unveiled a raft of radical reforms since he came to power, including lifting a ban on women driving, pledging to turn the country towards a more moderate interpretation of Islam, and launching an ambitious economic reform program designed to reduce the country’s dependence on oil.
However, he has also been accused of seeking to concentrate power in his own hands and using reform as an excuse to crackdown on potential political adversaries.
The ousting of Miteb bin Abdullah, in particular, removes a powerful rival who was once seen as a contender to the Saudi throne.
“It’s very much Mohammad bin Salman’s style, to make the sudden, bold, dramatic overnight moves, but this is at the same time about going after corruption and about political convenience,” said Jane Kinnenmont, an expert on Saudi affairs at Chatham House.
“This completes Mohammad bin Salman’s obtaining control of all security forces, either directly under him or under someone he appointed,” she added.
The arrests come amid a deepening confrontation between Saudi Arabia, the dominant Sunni Arab power in the Middle East, and Shia Iran.
The crisis has fueled a rapprochement between Riyadh and Washington, with senior Saudi officials praising President Donald Trump’s decision to de-certify, but not dismantle, the Iran nuclear deal negotiated by Barack Obama.
Jared Kushner, Mr Trump’s son-in-law and a top White House advisor, reportedly visited Saudi Arabia in October, something Ms Kinninmont says reveals the Trump administration’s “clear enthusiasm” for Mohammad bin Salman.
“Whenever there is high-level contact with the Trump administration, Saudi tends to emerge from that emboldened,” she said.
Mr Trump has publicly clashed with Alaweed bin Talal, the arrested owner of the London Savoy, who called him a “disgrace not only to the GOP but to all America” on Twitter in 2015 and predicted he would not win the election.
Then-candidate Trump fired back, labelling the prince “dopey” and accusing him of using his father’s money to try to control US politicians.
ccording to a senior Saudi official who declined to be identified under briefing rules, those detained include:
– Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, chairman of Kingdom Holding 4280.SE
– Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, minister of the National Guard
– Prince Turki bin Abdullah, former governor of Riyadh province
– Khalid al-Tuwaijri, former chief of the Royal Court
– Adel Fakeih, Minister of Economy and Planning
– Ibrahim al-Assaf, former finance minister
– Abdullah al-Sultan, commander of the Saudi navy
– Bakr bin Laden, chairman of Saudi Binladin Group
– Mohammad al-Tobaishi, former head of protocol at the Royal Court
– Amr al-Dabbagh, former governor of Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority
– Alwaleed al-Ibrahim, owner of television network MBC
– Khalid al-Mulheim, former director-general at Saudi Arabian Airlines
– Saoud al-Daweesh , former chief executive of Saudi Telecom 7010.SE
– Prince Turki bin Nasser, former head of the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment
– Prince Fahad bin Abdullah bin Mohammad al-Saud, former deputy defence minister
– Saleh Kamel, businessman
– Mohammad al-Amoudi, businessman