Saudi Arabia Arrests 14 Princes, and 34 former and current ministers
Including Billionaire “Prince?” Alwaleed bin Talal
On charges of corruptions and embezzlement? Practices that endured a century and that current princes in power are still abusing of the people treasury
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Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, one of the world’s richest men, was reportedly arrested in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.CreditIshara S.Kodikara/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
LONDON — Saudi Arabia announced the arrest on Saturday night of the prominent billionaire investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, plus at least 10 other princes, four ministers and tens of former ministers.
The announcement of the arrests was made over Al Arabiya, the Saudi-owned satellite network whose broadcasts are officially approved. Prince Alwaleed’s arrest is sure to send shock waves both through the kingdom and the world’s major financial centers. (His worth dropped 10% on that announcement. His aunt from mother side Leila Solh, a Lebanese, is in charge of catering for caritative and health institutions in Lebanon)
Al Walid controls the investment firm Kingdom Holding and is one of the world’s richest men, owning or having owned major stakes in News Corp, Citigroup, Apple, Twitter and many other well-known companies. The prince also controls satellite television networks watched across the Arab world.
The sweeping campaign of arrests appears to be the latest move to consolidate the power of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the favorite son and top adviser of King Salman.
At 32, the crown prince is already the dominant voice in Saudi military, foreign, economic and social policies, stirring murmurs of discontent in the royal family that he has amassed too much personal power, and at a remarkably young age.
The king had decreed the creation of a powerful new anti-corruption committee, headed by the crown prince, only hours before the committee ordered the arrests.
Al Arabiya said that the anti-corruption committee has the right to investigate, arrest, ban from travel, or freeze the assets of anyone it deems corrupt.
The Ritz Carlton hotel in Riyadh, the de facto royal hotel, was evacuated on Saturday, stirring rumors that it would be used to house detained royals. The airport for private planes was closed, arousing speculation that the crown prince was seeking to block rich businessmen from fleeing before more arrests.
Prince Alwaleed was giving interviews to the Western news media as recently as late last month about subjects like so-called crypto currencies and Saudi Arabia’s plans for a public offering of shares in its state oil company, Aramco.
He has also recently sparred publicly with President Donald J. Trump. The prince was part of a group of investors who bought control of the Plaza Hotel in New York from Mr. Trump, and he also bought an expensive yacht from him as well.
But in a twitter message in 2015 the prince called Mr. Trump “a disgrace not only to the GOP but to all America.”
Dopey Prince @Alwaleed_Talal wants to control our U.S. politicians with daddy’s money. Can’t do it when I get elected. #Trump201
As president, Mr. Trump has developed a warm, mutually supportive relationship with the ascendant crown prince, who has rocketed from near obscurity in recent years to taking control of the country’s most important functions.
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At 32, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is already the dominant voice in Saudi military, foreign, economic and social policies. CreditFayez Nureldine/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
But his swift rise has also divided Saudis.
Many applaud his vision, crediting him with addressing the economic problems facing the kingdom and laying out a plan to move beyond its dependence on oil.
Others see him as brash, power-hungry and inexperienced, and they resent him for bypassing his elder relatives and concentrating so much power in one branch of the family.
At least three senior White House officials, including the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, were reportedly in Saudi Arabia last month for meetings that were undisclosed at the time. (Navigating between Tel Aviv and Riyadh for fine tuning a nasty screenplay in the region)
Before sparring with Mr. Trump, Prince Alwaleed was publicly rebuffed by Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, who rejected his $10 million donation for the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York because the prince had also criticized American foreign policy.
As powerful as the billionaire is, he is something of an outsider within the royal family — not a dissident, but an unusually outspoken figure on a variety of issues. He openly supported women driving long before the kingdom said it would grant them the right to do so, and he has long employed women in his orbit.
In 2015 he pledged to donate his fortune of $32 billion to charity after his death.
It was unclear Saturday whether Saudi Arabia’s corruption committee might seek to confiscate any of his assets.
Saudi Arabia is an executive monarchy without a written Constitution or independent government institutions like a Parliament or courts, so accusations of corruption are difficult to evaluate.
The boundaries between the public funds and the wealth of the royal family are murky at best, and corruption, as other countries would describe it, is believed to be widespread.
The arrests came a few hours after the king replaced the minister in charge of the Saudi national guard, Prince Mutaib bin Abdullah (Mot3eb),who controlled the last of the 3 Saudi armed forces not yet considered to be under control of the crown prince.
The king named Crown Prince Mohammed the minister of defense in 2015.
Earlier this year, the king removed Prince Mohammed bin Nayef as head of the interior ministry (the first candidate for succession to the throne), placing him under house arrest and extending the crown prince’s influence over the interior ministry’s troops, which act as a second armed force.
(After this arrest, clans from royal rivals attacked and invested the Royal Palace in Jedda. And for 40 days, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman went in seclusion and out of public appearances to cool down the political climate. He is back with resolved revenge)
Rumors have swirled since then that King Salman and his favorite son would soon move against Prince Mutaib, commander of the third armed force and himself a former contender for the crown.
Note: Before I read this article, I posted these comments on FB and twitter
The activities in Saudi Kingdom are implying an internal palace coup d’etat by families of late king Abdullah.
Lebanon Saad Hariri PM was summoned to Riyadh and forced to video-read a resignation statement. This move was to rob him of any diplomatic immunity and be submitted to investigation by Saudi Kingdom
If there were communication interference on Saad Hariri by USA/Israel, it is Not probably to assassinate him as they did to his father Rafic in 2005, but to discover any communications with the comploters in Saudi Kingdom
This cycle of internal palace coups occurs occasionally. The first coup was performed on Saud ibn Abdul Azir (second monarch) who removed his brothers from power and placed his sons in key positions and opened up Saudi Kingdom to a more liberal system.
Adonis Diaries 
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