RIYADH Nov 07 (TNS): The 11 Saudi princes, government ministers and businesspersons were found sleeping on the floor of their ‘luxury’ five-star prison, after they were arrested in the biggest anti-corruption purge of the kingdom’s modern history.
A photo obtained by Daily Mail shows the men at Ritz-Carlton Hotel in the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh. The men are seen wrapped in blankets, sleeping on mattresses in one of the hotel’s function rooms.
According to Saudi sources, among the ones seen sleeping on mattresses is billionaire investor Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, who is a nephew of King Salman.
The photograph surfaced after United States President Donald Trump stated support for the man, 32-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who ordered the arrest drive.
In the tweets Trump posted before leaving Japan for South Korea on the Asian tour, he commended the crown prince on the move. The US president also said that the ones being harshly treated are those who had “milked” their country for years.
The arrested persons are seen huddled on the floor of one of the grand function rooms which last month hosted the Future Investment conference, a gathering of world business leaders.
The arrests that began late Saturday included Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, who for the past four years had led the National Guard, and Prince Adel Fakeih, who was minister of economy since April.
Miteb was once considered a contender for the throne, though he has not been thought of recently as a challenger to Prince Salman.
The men were reportedly arrested in a crackdown that the attorney general described as ‘phase one’.
Al-Waleed is accused of money laundering, bribery and extorting officials, an official told Reuters on Sunday.
