Dozens of Detained Saudi Officials Under Supervision in 'Five-Star Hotels'

Saudi Arabia announced that it will treat the princes and current and former officials who were suddenly arrested with 'justice.' Some reports indicate that the detainees are being held in several five-star hotels in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. According to the French news agency, Sheikh Saud Al-Muajab, the Attorney General of Saudi Arabia, stated in a statement: 'The suspects will be treated like other Saudi citizens and will have similar rights.' The 'Anti-Corruption Committee' arrested 11 princes, four current ministers, and dozens of former officials on Saturday night, November 4. This committee was formed by the order of King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia that same night, leading to a widespread arrest of high-profile Saudi figures. Among the arrested princes are Mutaib Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, the influential head of the National Guard, Walid bin Talal bin Abdulaziz, a billionaire and owner of the 'Kingdom Holding Company,' and Turki bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, the former governor of Riyadh. According to media reports, Bakr bin Laden, the head of the Bin Laden Group, Saeed Al-Duwish, chairman of the board of the telecommunications company, Khalid Al-Mulhim, head of Saudi Airlines, Khalid Al-Tuwaijri, former head of the Royal Court, Walid Al-Ibrahim, head of the 'MBC' media group, and Adel Al-Faqih, the dismissed Minister of Economy of Saudi Arabia, are also among those detained. The Associated Press highlighted the arrest of Prince Walid bin Talal Abdulaziz, noting that none of the detainees have as much influence in Western financial markets as this prince. Walid bin Talal bin Abdulaziz has been identified by Forbes magazine as the richest man in the Arab world, with a net worth of $18.7 billion. He is a major shareholder in companies such as Apple and Citibank. The news agency reports that a hotel that recently hosted a major investment conference is now one of the locations where princes and former officials of Saudi Arabia are being held under the pretext of fighting corruption. Graham Griffiths, a risk management analyst, states that for the West, Walid bin Talal was the 'face' of the Saudi monarchy with whom many had economic dealings. The 62-year-old Walid bin Talal is a major shareholder in Twitter, one of the owners of the Rotana satellite networks, and a shareholder in the Four Seasons and Motei hotels. Following the arrest of Walid bin Talal, shares of the 'Kingdom Holding Company' fell by 7.5%. Unlike King Salman and his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Prince Talal had strongly criticized Donald Trump during the U.S. election campaigns. He had business dealings with Donald Trump but congratulated him after his victory. Reuters reports that many experts believe the aim of these arrests goes beyond fighting corruption, with the real reason being to remove obstacles in the way of Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. An economist at Gulf Bank, who wished to remain anonymous, told Reuters that no one in Saudi Arabia believes that the fight against corruption is the reason for these arrests. Meanwhile, Reuters reported from sources close to the Saudi government that some of the detainees are being held in the luxurious Ritz-Carlton hotel in the diplomatic area of Riyadh. Reports indicate that this hotel has sent its staff home and that there is no possibility of booking rooms. In September, Saudi Arabia also arrested about 30 clerics, dissidents, and political activists.