2017–2019 Saudi Arabian purge
Mass arrests by Mohammed bin Salman regime / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The 2017–19 Saudi Arabian purge was the mass arrest of a number of prominent Saudi Arabian princes, government ministers, and business people in Saudi Arabia on 4 November 2017.[2] It took place weeks after the creation of an anti-corruption committee led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
![]() Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman | |
Date | 4 November 2017 – 30 January 2019 |
---|---|
Location | Saudi Arabia |
Type | Governmental purge |
Arrests | 381[1] |
The purge helped centralize political powers in the hands of Saudi ruler Mohammed bin Salman and undermine the pre-existing structure of consensus-based governance among Saudi elites.[3][4] The arrests resulted in the final sidelining of the faction of King Abdullah, and Mohammed bin Salman's complete consolidation of control of all three branches of the security forces.[5][6] It also cemented bin Salman's supremacy over business elites in Saudi Arabia and resulted in a mass seizure of assets by the bin Salman regime.[4]
The detainees were confined at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh (which had hosted the announcement for the planned city of Neom on 24 October 2017),[2][6] which subsequently stopped accepting new bookings and told guests to leave.[5] Private jets were also grounded to prevent suspects from fleeing the country.[5]
As many as 500 people were rounded up in the sweep.[7] Saudi Arabian banks froze more than 2,000 domestic accounts as part of the crackdown.[8] According to The Wall Street Journal, the Saudi government targeted cash and assets worth up to $800 billion.[9] The Saudi authorities claimed that amount was composed of assets worth around $300 billion to $400 billion that they can prove was linked to corruption.[10][11]
The anti-corruption committee ended its mission on 30 January 2019, concluding that 381 individuals were apprehended, some of them were able to give their testimony, and $107 billion was recovered to the state treasury as a result.[12][1]