Saudi authorities freed Prince Miteb bin Abdullah after $1 billion settlement

Riyadh, November 29: The authorities of Saudi Arabia on Tuesday freed Prince Miteb bin Abdullah after he agreed to pay more than $1 billion as a settlement amount more than three weeks after he was arrested in a sweeping royal purge. 

According to the official who was involved in the anti-corruption campaign said that Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, once seen as a contender to the throne was released on Tuesday after reaching an acceptable settlement agreement.

Though the settlement amount was not disclosed, the official said the amount is believed to be the equivalent of more than $1 billion. “It is understood that the settlement included admitting corruption involving known cases,” the official concluded.

Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, son of the late King Abdullah and former head of the elite National Guard, was among dozens of royal family members, ministers and senior officials who were arrested in an ongoing massive anti-corruption operation in Saudi Arabia.

Earlier, Saudi authorities taking a huge step to eradicate the corruption in Kingdom arrested 11 princes, 4 ministers and a number of former government ministers as it is re-examining the corruption involved in 2009 Jeddah floods and investigating the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus, which emerged in Saudi Arabia in 2012.

Saudi Arabia’s newly made anti-corruption committee is headed by the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. However, the analysts said the goal of the purge went beyond corruption and aimed to remove potential opposition to Prince Mohammed as he pushes an ambitious and controversial reform agenda.