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Middle East & Asia News
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Following an ongoing investigation by a newly inaugurated anti-corruption committee, Saudi Arabia has dismissed some senior ministers and ordered the detention of over a dozen princes. According to Reuters News Agency, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, a billionaire businessman who owns investment firm Kingdom Holding, was among those held. The report also identified some of the sacked ministers to include Prince Mitaab bin Abdullah, the head of the National Guard, and Adel Faqih, the economy minister.


The report further quoted King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud as saying the "exploitation by some of the weak souls who have put their own interests above the public interest, in order to illicitly, accrue money" led to the creation of the anti-graft committee"


According to Al Jazeera, "the new committee, which is headed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is looking into the 2009 floods that devastated parts of Jeddah, as well as the government's response to the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus outbreak. The committee shall also identify offences, crimes and persons and entities involved in cases of public corruption".


"The committee has the power to issue arrest warrants, travel bans, disclose and freeze accounts and portfolios, track funds and assets, and prevent their remittance or transfer by persons and entities, whatever they might be"

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