Saudi Attorney-General: 208 individuals arrested

Saudi Attorney General and member of the Supreme Anti-corruption Committee Shaikh Saud Al Mojeb issued the following statement:

"The investigations of the supreme anti-corruption committee are proceeding quickly, and we can provide the following updates:

1. A total of 208 individuals have been called in for questioning so far.
2. Of those 208 individuals, seven have been released without charge.
3. The potential scale of corrupt practices which have been uncovered is very large. Based on our investigations over the past three years, we estimate that at least $100 billion have been misused through systematic corruption and embezzlement over several decades.

The evidence for this wrongdoing is very strong, and confirms the original suspicions which led the Saudi Arabian authorities to begin the investigation into these suspects in the first place.

Given the scale of the allegations, the Saudi authorities, under the direction of the Royal Order issued on November 4, a clear legal mandate to move to the next phase of our investigations and to take action to suspend personal bank accounts.

On Tuesday, the Governor of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA), agreed to my request to suspend the personal bank accounts of persons of interests in the investigation.
There has been a great deal of speculation around the world regarding the identities of the individuals concerned and the details of the charges against them. In order to ensure that the individuals continue to enjoy the full legal rights afforded to them under Saudi law, we will not be revealing any more personal details at this time. We ask that their privacy is respected while they continue to be subject to our judicial process.

It is important to repeat, as all Saudi authorities have done over the past few days, that normal business activity in the Kingdom is not affected by these investigations. Only personal bank accounts have been suspended. Companies and banks are free to continue their transactions as usual."

"The Government of Saudi Arabia, under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is working within a clear legal and institutional framework to maintain transparency and integrity in the market," Al Mojeb said in the statement carried by Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

Source: BNA