Saudi Arabia arrests princes, ministers for corruption

Saudi Arabian authorities have arrested a number of high-profile figures, including princes and current and former ministers on anti-corruption charges, a Saudi television station reported late Saturday.

The committee headed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, announced it would reopen the case of the 2009 Jeddah floods in which more than 100 victims died, and investigating the outbreak of the Corona virus, also known as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in 2012, according to Al Arabiya.

The state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said Saturday the committee has been given the authority to investigate, arrest, ban from travel, disclose and freeze accounts and portfolios, track funds and assets of individuals involved in corruption.

“The committee has the right to take any precautionary measures it sees, until they are referred to the investigating authorities or judicial bodies. It may take whatever measures deemed necessary to deal with those involved in public corruption cases and take what it considers to be the right of persons, entities, funds, fixed and movable assets, at home and abroad, return funds to the state treasury and register property and assets in the name of state property,” the decree said, according to SPA.

SPA also reported Saudi Economy and Planning Minister Adel bin Mohammed Faqih and National Guard Minister Prince Miteb bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz were sacked.

According to a senior Saudi official who declined to be identified under briefing rules, those detained include:

- Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, chairman of Kingdom Holding

- 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

- 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