A surprise anti-corruption round up recently found a number of royals, government officials and businessmen arrested, including Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. Another 208 people have been questioned in the anti-corruption campaign and only seven of them have been released without charges against them. Additionally, the central bank of Saudi Arabia has frozen the personal bank accounts of every single person under investigation. Saudi authorities have also asked their counterparts in the UAE for information on assets held in UAE banks by nearly 20 Saudi royals and officials. It appears that the Saudi government is preparing for a long investigation into these corruption charges. Those who have been arrested aren’t cooling their heels in jail. These high ranking Saudi officials and royals are reportedly being held in the five-star Ritz Carlton hotel in Riyadh. The hotel has no rooms available until February 1, 2018. The anti-corruption committee is being led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The committee has the power to investigate, arrest, freeze the assets of those found to be a part of the corruption, and issue travel bans. This effort is part of a plan to clear the way for the crown prince’s plan to move the Saudi economy away from its dependence on oil. The crown prince has already introduced major changes in the kingdom including the end of the controversial ban on women driving.
