Prince Turki bin Abdullah, former governor of Riyadh, former finance minister, Ibrahim Al Assaf and Prince Miteb bin Abdullah. All three men have been detained as part of an anti-corruption investigation. REUTERS/EPA
Prince Turki bin Abdullah, former governor of Riyadh, former finance minister, Ibrahim Al Assaf and Prince Miteb bin Abdullah. All three men have been detained as part of an anti-corruption investigation. REUTERS/EPA
Prince Turki bin Abdullah, former governor of Riyadh, former finance minister, Ibrahim Al Assaf and Prince Miteb bin Abdullah. All three men have been detained as part of an anti-corruption investigation. REUTERS/EPA
Prince Turki bin Abdullah, former governor of Riyadh, former finance minister, Ibrahim Al Assaf and Prince Miteb bin Abdullah. All three men have been detained as part of an anti-corruption investigat

Senior Saudi figures accused of bribery and extortion


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Money laundering, bribery and extorting officials are among the allegations made against dozens of Saudi government officials and businessmen detained in a vast anti-corruption investigation.

The details emerged along with the names of more senior figures caught up in the crackdown by a new committee led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Among those arrested were Nasser bin Aqeel Al Tayyar, founder of one of the country’s largest travel companies, Al Tayyar Travel, and Sheikh Mansour Al Balawi, former president of Saudi Arabian sports club Al Ittihad.

Sabq, a Saudi-based online newspaper close to the government, reported that both men were detained as part of an investigation that has rocked the kingdom.

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister Adel Al Jubeir said in an interview on CNN on Sunday that “there are good reasons for the detentions”, adding: “For a better future, we need transparency.”

Along with allegations of money laundering and bribery, the accusations against the dozens of senior figures include extorting officials and taking advantage of their high-ranking positions for personal gain, a Saudi official told Reuters.

Some of those detained were held at the Ritz-Carlton in Riyadh, while others were held at other five-star hotels in the capital, reported The Associated Press

Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, one of the kingdom’s most prominent tycoons, and Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, head of the Saudi National Guard and son of the late King Abdullah, were also reportedly detained as part of the investigation.

Prince Alwaleed has been accused of money laundering, bribery and extorting officials, the Saudi official told Reuters. Prince Miteb has been accused of embezzlement, hiring ghost employees and awarding contracts to his own companies – including a US$10 billion deal for walkie talkies and bulletproof military gear worth billions of Saudi riyals.

Other detainees include former Riyadh governor Prince Turki bin Abdullah – who has been accused of corruption in the Riyadh Metro project and taking advantage of his influence to award contracts to his own companies.

The former finance minister Ibrahim Al Assaf is accused of embezzlement related to the expansion of Mecca's Grand Mosque and taking advantage of his position and inside information to purchase lands.

However, the government has yet to officially disclose the names of the suspects or issue an official statement on the nature of the accusations.

Okaz, one of the country’s leading newspapers, welcomed the formation of the new committee, challenging those detained to disclose the sources of their assets on its front page: “Where did you get this? Remember the 4th of November”.

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Saudi-owned Al Hayat newspaper’s front page read: “Saudi Arabia: No position higher than justice.”

Pan-Arab Al Sharq Al Awsat newspaper said that a no-fly list was drawn and authorities at Saudi airports have “implemented new strict measures pertaining to the private jets of some people”.

Meanwhile, the Saudi Centre for International Communication – which is affiliated with the Ministry of Culture and Information – said that funds that are proven to be linked to corruption cases will be reimbursed to the public treasury.

Sheikh Saud Al Mojeb, attorney general of Saudi Arabia and member of the new anti-corruption committee, said all those detained are innocent until proven guilty.

“Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty, and everyone’s legal rights will be preserved,” he said in a statement released by the Saudi Centre for International Communication.

“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.

“During the investigation, all parties retain full legal privileges relating to their personal and private property, including funds.”

The governor of Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority, Ibrahim Al Omar, said the formation of the anti-corruption commission was a “vital step in creating a fair and level playing field for all potential investors”.

He added: “This is a clear sign that the kingdom is ready to protect companies’ and individuals’ investments from legally reprehensible actions.”

Saudi Arabia announced on Saturday that it established a "supreme committee" to investigate public corruption.

The committee’s goal was to “preserve public money, punish corrupt people and those who exploit their positions”, according to a royal decree.

“The homeland will not exist unless corruption is uprooted and the corrupt are held accountable,” the royal decree said.

The commission will also be responsible for launching “investigations, issuing arrest warrants, travel bans, disclosing and freezing bank accounts and tracking funds”.

The crown prince warned earlier this year that anyone guilty of corruption would be punished. “No one is above the law whether it is a prince or a minister,” Crown Prince Mohammed said in a television interview.

The Saudi government said that the anti-corruption crackdown is part of larger efforts to ensure transparency, openness, accountability and good governance.

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Starring: Stephanie Beatriz, Michael Stahl-David

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Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
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UAE squad
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Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.

Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.

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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 6-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km

Price: Dh133,900

On sale: now 

ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures

October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
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Six large-scale objects on show
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Roll of honour 2019-2020

Dubai Rugby Sevens

Winners: Dubai Hurricanes

Runners up: Bahrain

 

West Asia Premiership

Winners: Bahrain

Runners up: UAE Premiership

 

UAE Premiership

Winners: Dubai Exiles

Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes

 

UAE Division One

Winners: Abu Dhabi Saracens

Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes II

 

UAE Division Two

Winners: Barrelhouse

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Specs

Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric

Range: Up to 610km

Power: 905hp

Torque: 985Nm

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Another way to earn air miles

In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.

An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.

“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.

House-hunting

Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove

  1. Edinburgh, Scotland 
  2. Westminster, London 
  3. Camden, London 
  4. Glasgow, Scotland 
  5. Islington, London 
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  7. Highlands, Scotland 
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  9. Fife, Scotland 
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The specs

Engine: 8.0-litre, quad-turbo 16-cylinder

Transmission: 7-speed auto

0-100kmh 2.3 seconds

0-200kmh 5.5 seconds

0-300kmh 11.6 seconds

Power: 1500hp

Torque: 1600Nm

Price: Dh13,400,000

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Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.

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Opening day Premier League fixtures for August 9-11

August 9

Liverpool v Norwich 11pm

August 10

West Ham v Man City 3.30pm

Bournemouth v Sheffield Utd 6pm

Burnley v Southampton 6pm

C Palace v Everton 6pm

Leicester v Wolves 6pm

Watford v Brighton 6pm

Tottenham v Aston Villa 8.30pm

August 11

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Sole survivors
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  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
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