DUBAI: Saudi Arabian billionaire Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal has been released from detention, family sources said on Saturday, more than two months after he was taken into custody in the kingdom’s sweeping crackdown on corruption.
His release came hours after he told Reuters in an exclusive interview at the opulent Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh that he expected to be cleared of any wrongdoing and be released from custody within days.
Family sources said Prince Alwaleed was released on Saturday.
“He has he arrived home,” one told Reuters.
في أول مقابلة له منذ توقيفه.. #الوليد_بن_طلال: لازلت أصر على براءتي من أي فساد pic.twitter.com/JAgVvQ3oAu
— مباشر نيوز (@mobashernewss) January 27, 2018
In his first interview since he was taken into custody in November, Prince Alwaleed told Reuters he was continuing to maintain his innocence of any corruption in talks with authorities.
He said he expected to keep full control of his global investment firm Kingdom Holding Co without being required to give up assets to the government.
Asked by Reuters about the anti-corruption investigation, he said, “That’s the big title: anti-corruption. But many people left here with no charges at all – zero. Clearly because I am involved in so many projects nationally, regionally, internationally, so many interests, so I told them: ‘Please, take your time. Look at everything. I have nothing to hide.”
Speaking about rumours he said he was upset with, Alwaleed noted: “I saw them [rumours] on the BBC and others, that Alwaleed was sent to some other place, the main prison, and that he’d been tortured. All lies.
"It’s very unfortunate ... I was planning to do an interview when I got out ... But I decided to accelerate the process and accept this interview today because these various rumours took place. They’re unacceptable completely. They are just a bunch of lies.”
Others released
Authorities are clearing out the Ritz-Carlton hotel that served as a jail for the kingdom’s elite during a controversial crackdown on corruption, releasing some of the most prominent men from detention this weekend after they agreed to settlements.
Waleed Al Ebrahim, head of the Middle East Broadcasting Centre, and Fawaz Al Hokair, the billionaire founder of one of the country’s largest retailers, were among those sent home, a government official said on condition of anonymity.
Khaled Al Tuwaijri, head of the royal court under the late King Abdullah, and Prince Turki bin Nasser were also released. A senior Saudi official said a week ago the kingdom expects to reap more than $100 billion from the deals.
