Saudi Arabia: Succession of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman could destabilise Middle East

[Disir]

The succession of the House of Saud is in doubt after 80-year-old King Salman is reported to be preparing the way for his son, rather than his nephew Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, his designated successor.
A report by the Gulf Institute, based in Washington claims that King Salman, who has previously been hospitalised for dementia, could install his 30-year-old son as the country's monarch. It has caused consternation among US officials who fear it could spark instability in the Middle East but also caused resentment from Mohammed bin Nayef, who was set to succeed to the throne.
"Things are tense and there is something afoot," a US diplomatic source said in a Sunday Times report. "We've been told to expect changes in the summer and there has been a very concerted effort to project the image of Prince Mohammed [bin Salman] and push him forward.
Saudi Arabia: Succession of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman could destabilise Middle East

I give it five to ten more years and there won't be a Saudi Arabia as we know it.

 

[dani67]

he cant speak anymore

 

[waltky]

Saudi anti-corruption probe 'finds $100bn was embezzled'...

Saudi anti-corruption probe 'finds $100bn was embezzled'
Thu, 09 Nov 2017 - Attorney general says 201 people are being held for questioning, some of them reportedly at a luxury hotel.

Saudi Arabia's attorney general says at least $100bn (£76bn) has been misused through systemic corruption and embezzlement in recent decades. Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb said 201 people were being held for questioning as part of a sweeping anti-corruption drive that began on Saturday night. He did not name any of them, but they reportedly include senior princes, ministers and influential businessmen. "The evidence for this wrongdoing is very strong," Sheikh Mojeb said. He also stressed that normal commercial activity in the kingdom had not been affected by the crackdown, and that only personal bank accounts had been frozen.

Those caught up in the anti-corruption drive are reportedly being held at Riyadh's Ritz-Carlton​

Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb said investigations by the newly-formed supreme anti-corruption committee, which is headed by 32-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, were "progressing very quickly". He announced that 208 individuals had been called in for questioning so far, and that seven of them had been released without charge. "The potential scale of corrupt practices which have been uncovered is very large," the attorney general said. "Based on our investigations over the past three years, we estimate that at least $100bn has been misused through systematic corruption and embezzlement over several decades."

Sheikh Mojeb said the committee had a clear legal mandate to move on to the next phase of its investigation and that it had suspended the bank accounts of "persons of interest" on Tuesday. "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," he added. "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." Among those reportedly detained are the billionaire investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal; Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, a son of the late king who was also removed from his post as National Guard chief on Saturday; and his brother Prince Turki bin Abdullah, a former governor of Riyadh province.

'No visible resistance'

See also:

Saudi Arabia tries to reassure investors after purge
8 Nov.`17 - All major Gulf stock markets were down on Wednesday after an anti-corruption drive in which senior officials, ministers and princes were arrested.

Saudi Arabia is now trying to reassure investors that the anti-corruption drive will not affect businesses. Over the weekend, dozens of high-profile figures including billionaire Al-Waleed bin Talal were arrested which has created uncertainty among businesses that could intensify capital flight or derail reforms. The bank accounts of the accused have been frozen and authorities have warned that any assets related to corruption cases would be seized as state property.

Central bank chief Ahmed Abdulkarim AlKholifey said in a statement, “It is worth clarifying that concerned individual accounts rather than their corporate businesses have been put in suspension until final court rulings. In other words, corporate businesses remain unaffected. It is business as usual for both banks and corporate.” Reports added that Saudi commerce minister Majid al-Qasabi’s companies, including those owned by the arrested elites, will be given full protection under the law. Local media has reported that since the purge over the weekend, more arrests have been made.

Naser bin Aqeel al-Tayyar, the founder of one of Saudi Arabia's biggest travel companies, has reportedly been arrested. In a statement to Saudi stock exchange, his company said that it can confirm "continuation of business to serve the interests of shareholders and customers.” U.S. President Donald Trump has shown support to the crackdown saying that some of those arrested have been "milking" Saudi Arabia for years. Many people have admired the move. The purge has been seen by many as King Salman’s way of assuring that there is no opposition to the Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s ascent to the throne.

Saudi Arabia tries to reassure investors after purge

 

[waltky]

Mebbe `cause dey was the most corrupt...

Why did Saudi Arabia target billionaire media tycoons in its purge?
November 16,`17 - On Nov. 5, Saudi authorities arrested dozens of the kingdom’s royal, political and business elite. Security forces sequestered princes, cabinet ministers and billionaires in Riyadh’s Ritz-Carlton, as the city’s private airport was shut down to prevent escape by private jet. The detainees face various charges of corruption issued by an all-powerful commission decreed by King Salman mere hours before the arrests and headed by his son, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Among the detainees was Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, founder and owner of Kingdom Holding, global businessman, media mogul and one of the world’s wealthiest individuals. Alwaleed was joined in detention by Saleh Kamel, billionaire and owner of Dallah al-Baraka, and Walid al-Ibrahim, brother-in-law of the late King Fahd. Since the Arab satellite revolution began in 1991, Saudi Arabia has increasingly dominated Arab television, radio, cinema, music and publishing. This month’s developments have serious implications for an already highly consolidated Arab media sphere.

Who are these Saudi media tycoons?

The influence of this troika of Saudi moguls on the Arab media industry cannot be overstated. Together they founded the pioneering companies that have grown into today’s media behemoths, often in partnership with one another. When Ibrahim started the Middle East Broadcasting Center (MBC) in London in 1991, Kamel was one of his chief investors. When Kamel founded Arab Radio and Television (ART) in Italy in 1994, Alwaleed, who owned the Rotana music label, was put in charge of ART’s music channels. In the 1990s, a pivotal decade in Arab media development, few important transactions in the sector occurred without the involvement of at least one, often two, and occasionally all three of these men.

Saudi Arabia’s billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal in 2015. Alwaleed is one of dozens of the kingdom’s royal, political and business elite currently held by security forces.​

Since then, these barons have reigned supreme over media empires that provide news and entertainment to not only most Saudis, but also a large majority of Arabs. Hailing from a family whose business was to guide pilgrims visiting Mecca for the annual pilgrimage or, hajj, Kamel defines himself a pious man. In 1998, he launched Iqraa, with moderate religious and social programming. Ibrahim fancied himself a cautious modernizer, and in 2003, set up the news network al-Arabiya, Saudi Arabia’s answer to Al Jazeera and a comparatively “liberal” voice on Saudi social issues.

Alwaleed is the son of Talal Bin Abdulaziz, the “Red Prince” known for rebelling against the monarchy in the 1960s. Alwaleed is a larger-than-life “liberal” figure, who hobnobs with Australian media tycoon Rupert Murdoch and has spoken out in favor of lifting the ban on women driving and incorporating women fully in the Saudi workforce.

Why target these moguls?

 

[waltky]

Saudi anti-corruption drive: Prince Miteb freed 'after $1bn deal'...

Saudi anti-corruption drive: Prince Miteb freed 'after $1bn deal'
29 Nov.`17 - Saudi Prince Miteb bin Abdullah has been released more than three weeks after he was detained on allegations of corruption, officials have said.

Prince Miteb, once seen as a contender to the throne, was freed after agreeing an "acceptable settlement" with authorities of more than $1bn (£750m). He was one of more than 200 princes, ministers and businessmen detained in an anti-corruption drive on 4 November. At least three others have also agreed settlements, the officials said. "Yes, Prince Miteb was released this morning [Tuesday]," a source close to the government told the Agence France-Presse news agency. The prince has so far not commented, and it was not clear whether he was now able to move freely or whether he was under some form of house arrest. The 65-year-old son of the late King Abdullah was the most politically influential royal detained under the orders of a newly formed anti-corruption committee headed by his 32-year-old cousin, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Prince Miteb was the most politically influential royal detained in the corruption crackdown​

Prince Miteb was minister of the National Guard, an elite security force with 100,000 personnel that is tasked with protecting royal leaders, but was sacked hours before his detention. An official involved in the investigation told Reuters news agency the settlement agreed by the prince "included admitting corruption involving known cases". The authorities have not publicly named any of the 208 people who Attorney General Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb said had been "called in for questioning". They have also not released any details of the charges they faced, and are not believed to have given them access to their lawyers.

Prince Miteb was reportedly held at the five-star Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh along with his brother Prince Turki bin Abdullah, a former governor of Riyadh province; the billionaire investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal; Alwalid al-Ibrahim, owner of the TV network MBC; Amr al-Dabbagh, former head of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority; and Khalid al-Tuwaijri, former chief of the Royal Court. In an interview with the New York Times published on Thursday, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said 95% of those so far detained in the anti-corruption drive had agreed to hand over cash or shares to the Saudi state once "we show them all the files that we have". "About one per cent are able to prove they are clean and their case is dropped right there," he added. "About four per cent say they are not corrupt and with their lawyers want to go to court.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the authorities hoped to recover as much as $100bn​

Prince Mohammed also said it was "ludicrous" that analysts had suggested the campaign was a power grab. He noted that many of those detained had publicly pledged allegiance to him when his 81-year-old father, King Salman, named him first-in-line to the throne in June. The prince hopes to recover much of the $100bn that the attorney general said was "misused through systematic corruption and embezzlement over several decades". Many ordinary Saudis have welcomed the move to tackle corruption with the hope that some of their nation's oil wealth will be redistributed to the general population.

Saudi prince freed 'after $1bn deal'

 

[waltky]

Free at last, free at last - thank God Almighty he's free at last...

Billionaire Saudi Prince, Alwaleed bin Talal, Is Freed From Detention
JAN. 27, 2018 — For more than 80 days, he was locked up, incommunicado, in the capital of the kingdom named after his family as alarm spread among his relatives and business partners.

Then on Saturday, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, Saudi Arabia’s most famous investor and one of the world’s richest men, reappeared, giving a videotaped tour of the luxury suite in the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh that he said had been his home for the past few months. Thinner and sporting a scruffy salt-and-pepper beard, he pointed out his tennis shoes, his dining room and his salads; he hoisted a Diet Pepsi for inspection before taking a sip. “I’m very comfortable because I’m in my country, I’m in my city, so I feel at home,” he said in an interview with Reuters. “It’s no problem at all. Everything’s fine.” A few hours later, Prince Alwaleed was released and returned to his mansion in Riyadh, according to two associates of the prince’s family, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the release had not been officially announced. But his freedom, it is widely presumed, was purchased by handing over a chunk of his immense fortune to the government.

The release of Prince Alwaleed appeared to signal the winding down of an opaque, two-and-a-half month operation that Saudi officials said was meant to stamp out the kingdom’s endemic corruption. In addition to Prince Alwaleed, at least 10 other princes, four ministers and tens of former ministers were taken into custody in November. Many of the high-profile detainees have now been released, apparently after being cleared or agreeing to hand over significant assets to the government. They included Waleed al-Ibrahim, the main owner of MBC, a satellite broadcaster; Khalid al-Tuwaijri, the former head of the royal court; and Fawaz Alhokair, who owns a large fashion retail company.

While it remains to be seen whether the effort to root out Saudi Arabia’s widespread graft will succeed, many Saudis suspect that another primary goal of the leader who orchestrated the arrests, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is a radical reshuffle of the main players in the Saudi economy, with the apparent aim of casting himself in the lead role. “In the short run, it has worked, by generating some assets and consolidating his power, and it has been popular in a way that could offset some of the anger over austerity measures,” said Steffen Hertog, a professor at the London School of Economics, describing Prince Mohammed’s gambit. “But in the mid- to long term, I think confidence in the private sector has taken a hit, and this could be difficult to rebuild.” The entire process, from the initial arrests through the detentions, has been shrouded in such secrecy that it remains unclear exactly who was taken into custody, what they were accused of, and what sort of deals they had to strike to get out.

But interviews with more than a dozen people, most of whom spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid provoking the prince, have pulled back the curtain on some details of the arrests and the detainees’ time in their five-star jail. It started with a storm of phone calls from the Royal Court. In early November, princes, businessmen and government ministers were invited to dinner with King Salman or to meetings with Prince Mohammed. Others were handcuffed in their homes and dragged off like criminals. All were detained, and most landed in what became the world’s most luxurious prison. The Riyadh Ritz-Carlton stands behind high walls and ornate gates, across a freeway from the diplomatic district. The hotel has long welcomed distinguished guests, and when President Trump and his family stayed there in May, American and Saudi flags were projected on its facade. The hotel’s new guests — or inmates — received a cooler welcome.

MORE

 

[Andylusion]

So, for the most part, I think if I remember right, we disagree on almost everything else.

In this particular case, I'm completely ambivalent. I don't know what would be best for the future of the Saudi government, or the middle east. As a typical conservative, when there is no clear cut answer, the status quo is the best answer. For example, Cuba and Venezuela, choose to change everything, and both have destroyed their countries.
I would suggest that if the people's of either country, had been able to see 20 or 40 years into the future, both would have opted for the status quo.

As it relates to Saudi Arabia, I knew that something would happen with the country, the moment that they started fighting in Yemen. But does that mean for good, or bad? I don't know.

What do you think is going to happen there? Because my view is that government, generally speaking, does not lead the culture. The culture leads the government.

When you see the kind of politicians we had in the early 1900s, they were politician that largely reflected the values of the public at that time. Similarly, when you look at the corruption of the Clintons, and their pension for getting into trouble. That was largely a reflection of the moral relativism of the public that spawns the moral-less Clintons.

So when you say that Saudi Arabia is going to change, I find that dubious. Jordan for example has an extremely secular elite. The King of Jordan appeared on Star Trek.

Do you think Jordan is a free and open secular society? It's true that Jordan is more liberal in Women's rights for example, but then they were always less strict than the Saudis.

Until the public itself changes it's views, the Jordan government can't force change on them.
And by the way, the same is true in reverse. When the Muslim Brotherhood got control of Egypt and started pushing heavy changes on the public, the outcry ended up kicking them out. If the public doesn't want to go to a religious system, they won't.

But if they don't want democracy and freedom, they won't accept that either. If you ever wondered why ISIS was able to gain so much power, the truth came out with a BBC documentary, where reporters started interviewing people in some of the longest held ISIS territory that was freed. The reporter was shocked to find that a large number of people, including women, were unhappy that ISIS was removed. A woman said openly that with ISIS people prayed more in the Mosques and women dressed more 'appropriately'.

Point being, the public wanted a religious system. I think too often people on the left, just assume that the vast public of these countries wants to have the same society that left-wingers want, and that it isn't possible that want to live under a religious based system. I think that is a mistake.

I think that if the Saudis were to move in any large way towards a secular system, that the public would revolt, and the Saudis would be overthrown by a power radical anti-west religious group, in much the same way that Carter allowed the Shah to be overthrown by a radical anti-west religious organization.

What exactly do you see as the Arabian future? Have the country turn into a socialist Utopia? Or a democracy? Or a west-leaning free society?

 

[waltky]

Corruption Shakedown nets $107B repayment...

Saudi Arabia to recover $107B in anti-corruption purge
Jan. 30, 2018 -- Saudi Arabian authorities reached agreements Tuesday to recover more than $107 billion from royal family members and businessmen detained as part of an anti-corruption crackdown.

Attorney General Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb announced the end of the three-month investigation involving 325 people detained in the Ritz Carlton hotel in Riyadh, where their personal finances were examined by forensic accountants.

The $107 billion figure includes real estate, commercial entities, securities, cash and other assets. Authorities refused to settle with 56 people "due to other pending criminal cases, in order to continue the investigations process."

Saudi Arabia reached deals to recover more than $107 billion from royal family members and businessmen detained as part of an anti-corruption crackdown launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.​

The Ritz Carlton has been cleared of all detainees, but the attorney general didn't specify where the remaining detainees are being held. Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, one of the world's richest men, was released from detention Saturday after state prosecutors approved the 62-year-old's unspecified financial settlement.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the son of King Salman, launched the crackdown in November, arresting Prince Alwaleed along with 10 other princes and several hundred politicians and wealthy businessmen.

Saudi Arabia to recover $107B in anti-corruption purge

 

[Cherub786]

بسم الله الرحمـن الرحيم

والصلاة والسلام على رسوله الكريم

والعاقبة للمتّقين

MBS is a transparently evil man. His private war in Yemen is a disaster. He proved how stupid he is. Soon Arabia will be liberated and sanctified from the Saudis and foreigners.

 

[waltky]

Where is the queen mother?...

Saudi Crown Prince Is Hiding His Mother, U.S. Officials Say
March 15, 2018 • They say it shows his willingness to solidify his role as Saudi Arabia's next king. U.S. intelligence analysts reportedly think he believes his mother opposes his rise to the throne.

Saudi Arabia's future king has hidden the whereabouts of his mother from his father and the public, according to U.S. officials. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has given his father, King Salman, a number of different explanations for her absence, say 14 current and former U.S. officials who spoke to NBC on condition of anonymity. Among the fabrications he is said to have created is that she is receiving medical treatment abroad. Years of intelligence have led U.S. officials to believe that the Saudi heir, who is now 32, is concealing his mother's location. The officials say that the crown prince was motivated by a belief that she opposed his ascendancy to the throne and that she would use her position as King Salman's third wife to prevent it. One source close to the royal family told NBC that the prince was concerned that his mother was trying to "empower her siblings." That allegedly caused a rift between the prince and his mother years ago.

Little information is publicly available about the mother-son relationship. Crown Prince Mohammed is her firstborn son, and according to Western diplomats who spoke to the New York Times in 2015, she "worked hard to promote him as his father's successor." "He is her eldest," a longtime associate told the publication. "For her, he is her glory at the end of the day." Officials first assessed that Princess Fahda bint Falah Al Hathleen, the crown prince's mother, was being hidden during the Obama administration. At a meeting at the White House in September 2015, King Salman reinforced that assessment when he told then-President Barack Obama that his wife was in New York receiving medical care. Obama did not notify him that the princess was not in New York, officials told NBC.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attends a meeting in November 2017 in Riyadh. U.S. officials say he has hidden his mother.​

They also said that in early 2016, the U.S. picked up communications in which the crown prince discussed his efforts to separate his mother from his father without the latter's knowledge. The crown prince's mother wouldn't be the first Saudi royal whose movements were restricted since the prince swept into power in June 2017. He unseated his cousin, then-Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who was confined to his Jiddah palace with guards loyal to the crown prince, reported the Wall Street Journal. In November, ministers and princes were arrested and placed under house arrest at the Ritz-Carlton in Riyadh. The Saudi Embassy in Washington denied to NBC the claims that the princess is separated from her husband or under house arrest.

Officials said their assessment is based on human sources, intercepts and information gleaned from countries that shared with the United States. NBC's report comes at a time when the conservative country has taken steps to offer women more rights. The kingdom is lifting a ban on women driving, and for the first time women are also able to join the military. The crown prince's Vision 2030 for the country includes a goal of bringing more women into the workforce, "from 22% to 30%." King Salman, now 82, has said that he misses his wife. But by secretly keeping her out of sight, his son is showing a willingness to remove what he perceives as obstacles to his role as future king, current and former officials tell NBC. President Trump will host the crown prince at the White House on March 20.

Saudi Crown Prince Is Hiding His Mother, U.S. Officials Say