Saudi Arabia has in the past two days released 23 of the more than 200 royals, officials and businessmen detained on charges of corruption after they reached deals with the government.
The suspects have been held at Riyadh’s luxurious Ritz-Carlton hotel since early November and told to hand over assets and cash in exchange for their freedom.
Saudi authorities see the settlements not as blackmail but as an obligation to reimburse money taken illegally from the world’s top oil producer over several decades.
Although some suspects will go on trial, the authorities in Saudi Arabia are seeking to reach financial settlement with most of them, whereby those who do not contest the charges pay back a portion of the assets that were illegally acquired.
Saudi Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, who was seen as a leading contender for the throne, was freed after reportedly agreeing to pay more than $1 billion (Dh3.67bn).
Saudi attorney-general Sheikh Saudi Al Mojeb said the arrests were the culmination of three years’ work by a special committee to combat corruption.
