Riyadh's coercion and physical abuse used to seize billions in anti-corruption purge

RT
Tue, 13 Mar 2018 05:08 UTC

© Hamad I Mohammed / Reuters

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

Saudi Arabia's so-called anti-corruption campaign saw hundreds of the country's elite arrested about four months ago. Most detainees have been released but witnesses say they are not really free, living in fear and uncertainty.

People familiar with the situation told the New York Times that many of the arrested princes and businessmen were subjected to coercion and physical abuse. They now wear ankle bracelets that track their movements, witnesses said. The families who flew on private jets cannot gain access to their bank accounts, even wives and children have been forbidden to travel.

In the early days of the crackdown, at least 17 detainees were hospitalized due to physical abuse and one later died in custody with neck injuries and other signs of abuse, according to a person who saw the body. In an email to the New York Times, the Saudi government denied accusations of physical abuse as "absolutely untrue."

Many of the detainees surrendered huge sums of money in order to leave the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh, where the arrested were held. They have also signed over real estate and shares in their companies to the government - all outside of any clear legal process. "We signed away everything," said a relative of a former detainee, who has been forced to wear a tracking device. "Even the house I am in, I am not sure if it is still mine."

In November, Saudi Arabia launched an anti-corruption purge, arresting hundreds of the country's elite, including billionaires, government ministers, and royal family members.

The government said it raised more than $100 billion from financial settlements made with the detainees in exchange for their freedom. That came mostly in the form of land, stakes in businesses, and other assets rather than cash.

On Sunday, the kingdom announced new anti-corruption departments, claiming that King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed "are keen to eradicate corruption with utmost force and transparency."

Comment: See also:

• Saudi Crown Prince's purge consolidates control, eliminates rivals, but puts govt at risk
• 'Purge' of corrupt Saudi princes and businessmen widens, travel curbs imposed

More from Yahoo.com:

A Saudi general may have been tortured to death and several wealthy businessmen were allegedly abused in captivity at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel during Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's recent crackdown on powerful figures in Saudi Arabia, according to a newspaper report.

The most dramatic accusation involves Major General Ali al-Qahtani, an aide to a senior Saudi prince seen as a potential rival to the 32-year-old Prince Mohammed, who died in government custody in mid-December.

Sources told the newspaper that the general's "neck was twisted unnaturally as though it had been broken" and that his body had burn marks which appeared to be the result of electric shocks.

General Qahtani was taken to hospital in November but was reportedly returned to his interrogation after being seen by doctors. The government has not offered an official explanation for how he died.

The general's death had been widely reported in Arab and Iranian media previously but not in detail. The US report comes shortly before Prince Mohammed, known by his initials "MBS", is due in Washington for meetings with the Trump administration.

General Qahtani was an aide to Prince Turki bin Abdullah, a former governor of Riyadh who is from a rival line of the Saudi royal family to Prince Mohammed. Prince Turki was himself detained during the November crackdown on allegations of corruption. He was eventually released.