Former Saudi king’s son ‘freed from hotel’

A SENIOR Saudi prince who once led the country’s national guard was reportedly freed yesterday, more than three weeks after he and hundreds of others were arrested on the orders of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Prince Mutaib bin Abdullah, the son of former King Abdullah, is the highest-profile prince to have been released since a major purge of senior royals and businessmen began on Nov 4.

Prince Mutaib was accused of embezzlement, hiring ghost employees and awarding his own companies a $10 billion (£7.6 billion) contract for walkie-talkies and bulletproof equipment. He had been held at the Ritzcarlton in Riyadh, according to Reuters.

The 65-year-old prince was once seen as a contender for the throne and controlled Saudi Arabia’s powerful national guard force, making him a potential rival to Crown Prince Mohammed.

It is not clear under what terms Prince Mutaib was released. Speaking to the New York Times, Crown Prince Mohammed said that 95 per cent of the accused men had agreed to plea bargains which would involve paying millions to the state treasury, which expected to take in “around $100billion in settlements”.