WSJ: Riyadh requires the detainee Prince $6 billion for the liberation
NEW YORK, December 23. /TASS/. The Saudi Arabian authorities require that the detainee on charges of corruption, the Prince, the billionaire al-Waleed bin Talal has paid $6 billion for his release. This is stated in an article published Saturday in the newspaper the Wall Street Journal.
According to its sources, a billionaire, like many other persons accused of corruption are in a hotel in Riyadh, which they can’t voluntarily leave. Some have already agreed to give to the authorities of the assets in exchange for the release. However, as the newspaper notes, $6 billion is one of the largest amounts that the Saudi authorities demanded from the detainees.
According to sources, al-Waleed bin Talal has so far refused to pay the money. He stressed that this step will actually be the official pleading guilty to corruption, which he does not recognize, and also will deal a heavy blow to his business.
Billionaire instead proposes to transfer to the Saudi authorities a part of his conglomerate Kingdom Holding, which is estimated at $8.7 billion.
According to Forbes, the total assets of the Prince is about 18.7 billion us dollars, it is one of the richest men in the middle East.
On the night of November 5, the High Committee for the fight against corruption, headed by crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was detained and placed into custody at a hotel in Riyadh, dozens of members of the Royal family, civil servants and businessmen, accusing them of financial and malfeasance. According to the prosecution, was questioned about 200 people.
As stated by the crown Prince in an interview with The New York Times, 95% of the defendants agreed to the deal, transferring part of its assets to the authorities in exchange for the release.
Prince al-Waleed bin Talal — grandson of the first king of Saudi Arabia Abdul Aziz bin Saud al Saud, son of the 20th Prince Talal bin Abdul Aziz al Saud, the nephew of the current king of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud. The Prince owns stakes in companies Four Seasons (together with bill gates they own 95% stake), Citigroup, Twitter, 21st Century Fox, The Walt Disney Company. He owns a number of hotels in Paris and new York.