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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Read more:
Saudi Arabia arrests prince, ministers and businessmen in anti-corruption crackdown
New Saudi committee to investigate public corruption open ‘new era of transparency’
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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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- Flexible work arrangements
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- Financial well-being incentives
The Light of the Moon
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Starring: Stephanie Beatriz, Michael Stahl-David
Three stars
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England v New Zealand (Saturday, 12pm)
Wales v South Africa (Sunday, 1pm)
TOURNAMENT INFO
Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier
Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
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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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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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
October 9: v Sabah FA
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
Roll of honour 2019-2020
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Hurricanes
Runners up: Bahrain
West Asia Premiership
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Runners up: UAE Premiership
UAE Premiership
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Winners: Abu Dhabi Saracens
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UAE Division Two
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Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
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Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
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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
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
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- 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
Newcastle v Arsenal 5pm
Man United v Chelsea 7.30pm
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- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
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- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.