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Thread: The Saudi Arabia Purge

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    Default Re: The Saudi Arabia Purge

    Saudis Get Extra Pay After Price Surge Sparks Public Complaints
    By Vivian Nereim
    January 5, 2018, 7:02 PM EST

    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...lic-complaints

    Royal orders restores annual pay raise to government workers
    Also orders 1,000-riyal monthly ’cost of living’ allowance

    King Salman ordered extra pay for Saudi government workers and soldiers this year after the implementation of value-added taxation and a surge in fuel prices stirred grumbling among citizens, highlighting the kingdom’s struggle to overhaul its economy without risking a public backlash.

    Royal orders issued early Saturday restored an annual pay raise for Saudi civil servants, suspended as part of attempts to rein in a hefty public-sector wage bill. The monarch also ordered a 5,000-riyal ($1,333) bonus for soldiers fighting in the kingdom’s war in Yemen and granted Saudis working for the state an extra 1,000 riyals a month as a “cost of living” allowance for a year.

    Saudi citizens, including some prominent writers, took to social media and television to complain about rising prices after the introduction of a 5 percent VAT as well as a substantial increase in electricity tariffs and gasoline prices as of Jan. 1. The measures were part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s plan to raise non-oil revenue and repair public finances strained by low oil prices.

    Read more: Saudi Arabia looks to post-oil age in great makeover: QuickTake

    The handouts show how hard it is for Saudi rulers to overhaul a decades-old social contract based on government largesse for political loyalty, even after Prince Mohammed, 32, tightened his grip on power to emerge as the kingdom’s predominant leader. Last year, King Salman also reversed cuts to public sector salaries.

    Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan, appearing on state television to explain the reasons behind the price increases, struggled to keep up with repeated questions over the impact on citizens. Calls for the return of annual pay raises for public sector workers were persistently trending on social media.

    King Salman said he issued the orders after Prince Mohammed, his son and heir, explained that the recent measures “would increase the burden on some citizens,” according to the royal decree published by the official Saudi Press Agency.

    The orders also included:

    500 riyals extra a month for retirees and social benefits recipients
    10 percent bump in student allowances
    The government will bear the cost of VAT for citizens benefiting from private healthcare and education services

    The handouts will cost the state more than 50 billion riyals, Saud Al-Qahtani, an adviser to the royal court, said on his Twitter account.

    — With assistance by Nadeem Hamid

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  3. Link to Post #42
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    Default Re: The Saudi Arabia Purge

    Prince Alwaleed Moved To Highest Security Saudi Prison After Refusing To Pay $6 Billion For Freedom: Report

    by Tyler Durden
    Mon, 01/15/2018 - 04:14



    https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...-pay-6-billion

    Goodbye Ritz Carlton. Saudi Arabia's billionaire prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, has been carted off to Al Ha'ir prison, south of Riyadh, after refusing to pay a reported $6 billion to Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman to secure his freedom, following a massive consolidation of power on November 4, 2017 in which over 300 princes, ministers and other elites were rounded up in an "anti-corruption" purge.


    Something strange is going on in the financial system. And according to The Wall Street Journal, it’s causing some investors to move massive amounts of money out of the banking system.



    Sources told the Middle East Montior that nearly 60 detainees were transferred to the most high security prison in the Kingdom. The prisoners include Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal as Prince Turki Bin Abdullah and a number of government officials who refused to make the large financial payments for their release.

    Among those arrested on allegations of corruption is Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, the Saudi King's nephew who is worth more than $17bn according to Forbes, and owns stakes in Twitter, Lyft and Citigroup. According to a Daily Mail source, the crown prince had lulled Alwaleed into a false sense of security, inviting him to a meeting at his Al Yamamah palace, then sent officers to arrest him the night before the meeting.

    'Suddenly at 2.45am all his guards were disarmed, the royal guards of MBS storm in,' said the source.

    'He's dragged from his own bedroom in his pajamas, handcuffed, put in the back of an SUV, and interrogated like a criminal.

    'They hung them upside down, just to send a message.

    Purged princes and the like were taken to the Riydah Ritz Carlton Hotel, where they have reportedly been allowed to buy their freedom by giving up their billions in oil wealth for their lives.

    Purged Royals inside Riydah Ritz Carlton
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    As the Daily Mail reported in November, mercenaries purportedly employed by Academi - a successor to infamous US security contractor Blackwater, have been stringing up some of MBS’s “guests” at the Riyadh Ritz Carlton by their feet and savagely beating them during interrogations. The claims have spread rapidly on Arabic-language social media, and even Lebanon’s president Michel Aoun has accused MbS of using mercenaries.

    Meanwhile, none of Prince Alwaleed's powerful friends appear to be coming to his defense. As CNBC points out:

    One of the most stunning aspects of bin Talal's detention is how quiet his long list of influential friends have been about it. This week brought at least some mention of his plight with a statement from two former French presidents who expressed concern over Alwaleed's status. But let's face it: a few words from a couple of French ex-presidents is peanuts.

    So now we have bin Alwaleed in an actual prison, with a government aggressively taking cash and assets, and still no significant outcry from his foreign friends.

    Bin Salman came to power last summer after King Salman changed the order of succession and made Bin Salman crown prince. In addition to his "anti-corruption" puge to consolidate power and wealth, the country has embarked on an ambitious plan called "Vision 2030"- which aims to modernize Saudi Arabia and break its dependence on oil production, as well as combat human rights violations.

    In late September, Saudi Arabia took the unprecedented step of allowing women to drive. “The royal decree will implement the provisions of traffic regulations, including the issuance of driving licenses for men and women alike,” the Saudi Press Agency said, according to Al Aribaya

    Meanwhile, A Saudi Government panel has asked that all marriage contracts for girls under the age of 18 be approved by family courts - the latest step in a series of sweeping reforms under the lead of their new Crown Prince, Mohammad bin Salman. While falling short of outlawing child marriage, the request marks the first major legislation involving the long-standing practice primarily overseen by Saudi clerics and local judges - not family courts.

    The proposed legislation was part of a series of recommendations by the Committee of Islamic and Judiciary Affairs last Monday, which also called for "competent" family courts to oversee premarital virginity tests for girls under 18.

    “The committee acceded to have those under 18 submit their marriage contracts, as well as a pre-marital tests to a competent court to determine their case" -Councilwoman Dr. Eqbal Darandari

    “Some Shoura members disagreed with this decision because they believed it meant we condone underage marriage," said Darandari, adding "Others suggested that only those between the ages of 16-18 can transfer their cases to a judge, and those below 16 cannot get married. Some members demanded this be applied to underage boys, as well.”

    Dr. Darandari is among several Saudi legislators who believe in an an age limit for underage girls' to marry. "Girls’ voices must be heard and their opinions taken into consideration. I don’t believe a pre-marital test is enough. In my opinion, I think we need a female committee — made of a doctor, lawyer, psychologist and social worker — that studies the girl’s state in order to assess whether or not she can get married.”

    She also warned of the damage which can occur to children who are forced into marriage.

    “Those that are fifteen or younger can undergo severe physical and psychological damage through marriage, and they’re probably unequipped for it. I believe there should be sanctions to those who do not adhere to that, and in the case of a marriage during that delicate age, a girl’s right to demand a divorce if things don’t work out should be guaranteed.” -Dr. Eqbal Darandari

    So there you have it - Bin Salman is attempting to modernize his country, while wrestling power from long-standing oil families. And for those who don't comply, it's off to prison where the beatings shall continue until morale improves.

    h/t iBankCoin.com
    Last edited by ramus; 15th January 2018 at 16:55.

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  5. Link to Post #43
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    Default Re: The Saudi Arabia Purge

    Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed released as corruption probe winds down
    Sarah Dadouch, Katie Paul

    6 Min Read

    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-s...-idUSKBN1FG0DT

    RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabian billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, one of the kingdom’s top international businessmen, was released from detention on Saturday, more than two months after he was taken into custody in a sweeping crackdown on corruption.

    His release came hours after he told Reuters in an interview at Riyadh’s opulent Ritz-Carlton hotel that he expected to be cleared of any wrongdoing and be freed within days.

    A senior Saudi official said Prince Alwaleed was freed after he reached a financial settlement with the attorney general.

    “The attorney general has approved this morning the settlement that was reached with Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, and the prince returned home at 1100 a.m. (0800 GMT),” the official told Reuters, without giving details of the terms.

    The decision to free him, and the release of several other well-known tycoons on Friday, suggested the main part of the corruption probe was winding down after it sent shockwaves through Saudi Arabia’s business and political establishment.

    In his first interview since being detained, conducted hours before his release, Prince Alwaleed told Reuters he maintained his innocence of any corruption in talks with the authorities.

    He said he expected to keep full control of his global investment firm Kingdom Holding Co 4280.SE without being required to hand assets to the state. He said he had been able to communicate with executives at his business while detained.

    Prince Alwaleed, who is in his early 60s, described his confinement as a “misunderstanding” and said he supported reform efforts by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

    “There are no charges. There are just some discussions between me and the government,” he said.

    Prince Alwaleed had been confined at the Ritz-Carlton since early November, along with dozens of other senior officials and businessmen, part of the crown prince’s plan to reform oil superpower Saudi Arabia and consolidate his position.
    FOREIGN INVESTOR CONCERNS

    When asked if the attorney general was convinced of Prince Alwaleed’s innocence, the senior Saudi official said:

    “I will not negate or confirm what he says. Generally this falls back to those who concluded the settlement, and for sure there is no settlement unless there are violations, and they are not concluded without the accused admitting it in writing and promising not to repeat it.”

    The source declined to give further details, but confirmed that Prince Alwaleed would remain head of Kingdom Holding.

    A Gulf banker who deals with Saudi Arabia said the authorities appeared keen to conclude the probe partly because foreign investors were concerned their assets or local business partners could be targeted in the wide-ranging crackdown.
    Slideshow (6 Images)

    Prince Alwaleed’s detention was particularly worrying for foreigners because of his international prominence as an investor in top Western companies such as Twitter (TWTR.N) and Citigroup (C.N), and in top hotels including the George V in Paris and the Plaza in New York, the banker said.

    “The government is signaling that it wants to move to a new phase now, away from the crackdown and into other economic reforms,” the banker said.

    Outside Prince Alwaleed’s Riyadh palace, dozens of cars lined the entrances as a huge Saudi flag flapped above. Guards cracked jokes and drank coffee. His office said the prince was out visiting family, but declined to give any details.

    The attorney general said earlier this week that 90 detainees had been released after their were charges dropped, while others traded cash, real estate and other assets for their freedom. The authorities were still holding 95 people, he said. Some are expected to be put on trial.



    An official Saudi source said on Friday that several prominent businessmen had reached financial settlements with the authorities, including Waleed al-Ibrahim, owner of regional television network MBC, who was released. Terms of his settlement were not revealed.

    Saudi authorities have said they expect to raise some $100 billion for the government through such settlements - a huge windfall for the state, which has seen its finances squeezed by low oil prices. Some private analysts think that target will be hard to hit, given how many suspects have seen charges dropped.

    Allegations against Prince Alwaleed included money laundering, bribery and extorting officials, a Saudi official told Reuters in November. The prince’s net worth has been estimated by Forbes magazine at $17 billion.

    While declaring his innocence in the Reuters interview, the prince appeared greyer and thinner than in his last public appearance, a television interview in October, and had grown a beard while in detention.

    “I have nothing to hide at all. I‘m so comfortable, I‘m so relaxed. I shave here, like at home. My barber comes here. I‘m like at home, frankly speaking,” he said, adding he had been able to communicate with family members while in detention.

    He granted the 30-minute interview to Reuters, including a tour of his suite, partly to disprove rumors about mistreatment and that he had been moved from the hotel to a prison.

    Prince Alwaleed showed off the comforts of his gold-accented private office, dining room and kitchen, which was fully stocked with his preferred vegetarian meals.

    In the corner of his office sat tennis shoes, which he said he used regularly for exercise. A television played business news programs, and a mug with an image of his own face on it was perched on the desk.

    After being released, Prince Alwaleed said, he would stay in Saudi Arabia and would return to the challenge of juggling his global business interests.

    “I will not leave Saudi Arabia, for sure. This is my country.”

    It's a shame we will never know how much it cost to be released .
    Last edited by ramus; 29th January 2018 at 17:52.

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