Alwaleed ‘forgives’ Ritz ordeal, refuses to disclose settlement
RIYADH: Billionaire Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal says all is forgiven after his three-month detention in an anti-corruption crackdown, dismissing speculation he had forfeited control of his assets in exchange for his freedom. The prince, dubbed the Warren Buffett of Saudi Arabia, was released from the now-notorious RitzCarlton hotel in early January after an undisclosed financial agreement with the government.
“I am not a person who is going to say I forgive but I don’t forget. I say I forgive and I forget at the same time,” Prince Alwaleed said in an interview with Bloomberg News published yesterday. “It’s business as usual. We are going to continue investing in Saudi Arabia. I was born in Saudi Arabia, I will die in Saudi Arabia.” The prince refused to divulge the terms of his release, which he described as a “confidential and secret agreement”. The agreement had, however, left him free to function normally with “zero guilt” and “zero conditions”, he said.
Alwaleed was the most high-profile detainee among 350 suspects rounded up since Nov 4, including business tycoons and ministers, who were held in Riyadh’s luxury Ritz-Carlton. The prolonged detention of Prince Alwaleed, ranked among the richest men in the world, had sent shockwaves across a host of companies that count him as a major investor. A Saudi official told AFP that the prince’s release came after a monetary settlement similar to deals that authorities struck with most other detainees in exchange for their freedom. He revealed no figures.
Attorney General Sheikh Saud Al-Mojeb, however, has said that $107 billion has been recovered in the crackdown in various forms of assets handed over that included property, securities and cash. Alwaleed also denied reports he had been tortured or subject to mistreatment behind bars. “I was never tortured,” he said. “Actually, I was given the best service. Doctors used to come twice a day. We had the best service, best food, best everything.”
The prince asserted that he was firmly in control of his Riyadh-listed Kingdom Holding company. “Some people in business community will be doubtful, will say: ‘What’s going on?’ “However, I assure them that everything is normal and we are functioning as we were before and we welcome them to come here to see what we’re doing in Saudi Arabia and life is back to normal.”
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the 32-year-old son of the king, is behind the unprecedented crackdown on corruption among members of the government and royal family, as he consolidates his grip on power. Prince Alwaleed told Bloomberg he would continue to invest in Saudi Arabia and that he held no ill will towards his uncle King Salman and his cousin Prince Mohammed. The prince said he was in discussions with the Public Investment Fund (PIF), which is chaired by the crown prince, about making joint investments inside the kingdom. Those talks began before his detention at the Ritz-Carlton and focused around putting his Four Seasons hotels in the PIF’s Red Sea Project on the west coast and entertainment district outside the capital, he said. — Agencies