Reuters: Future Saudi king tightens grip on power with arrests including Prince Alwaleed
RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia’s future king has tightened his grip on power through an anti-corruption purge by arresting royals, ministers and investors including billionaire Alwaleed bin Talal who is one of the kingdom’s most prominent businessmen.
Prince Alwaleed, a nephew of the king and owner of investment firm Kingdom Holding 4280.SE, invests in firms such as Citigroup (C.N) and Twitter (TWTR.N). He was among 11 princes, four ministers and tens of former ministers detained, three senior officials told Reuters on Sunday.
The purge against the kingdom’s political and business elite also targeted the head of the National Guard Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, who was detained and replaced as minister of the powerful National Guard by Prince Khaled bin Ayyaf.
The allegations against Prince Alwaleed include money laundering, bribery and extorting officials, one official told Reuters, while Prince Miteb is accused of embezzlement, hiring ghost employees and awarding contracts to his own companies including a $10 billion deal for walkie talkies and bulletproof military gear worth billions of Saudi riyals.
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WNU Editor: If true .... this is big .... Saudi Prince, Asserting Power, Brings Clerics to Heel (In Depth New York Times).
More News On Yesterday's Purge In Saudi Arabia
The Latest: Saudi crown prince shocks kingdom with arrests -- AP
Arrest of billionaire Alwaleed bin Talal signals tightening circle of power in Saudi Arabia -- Los Angeles Times
Saudi anti-corruption sweep leads to high-profile arrests -- CNN
Al-Waleed: the Saudi billionaire prince who slammed Trump -- AFP
Shares of 'arrested' Saudi billionaire's company dive -- AFP
Factbox: Prince Alwaleed's international and domestic investments -- Reuters
The great Saudi sheikh up: How the king's favourite son is preparing to rule by purging traditionalists - like the prince who owns the Savoy Hotel - in a bid to take power away from hardline Islamic clerics and modernise the kingdom -- Daily Mail
The night of the long knives in Saudi Arabia -- Middle East Eye
Saudi arrests of princes consolidates another’s power grab -- AP
Saudi Arabia's Very Public, Very Risky Palace Intrigue -- The Atlantic
Princes and ministers arrested in Saudi royal purge: Here are the big names -- AsiaOne
