Saudi Arabia's crown prince says his anti-corruption drive is the 'chemo' needed to stop 'the cancer of corruption' in his country - Daily Mail

Saudi Arabia's crown prince says his anti-corruption drive is the 'chemo' needed to stop 'the cancer of corruption' in his country

Prince Mohammed bin Salman detained princes, businessmen and top officials

Many were confined and interrogated in Riyadh's five star Ritz-Carlton Hotel

Government says $100 billion has been paid back in financial settlements

The oil rich kingdom has been hit by financial problems due low crude prices

By Tariq Tahir For Mailonline and Afp

PUBLISHED: 20:14 AEDT, 28 February 2018 | UPDATED: 21:38 AEDT, 28 February 2018

Saudi Arabia's powerful crown prince said the kingdom's anti-corruption crackdown was needed to meet budget targets, comparing the purge to chemotherapy.

Authorities rounded up dozens of princes, top officials and businessmen in November on Prince Mohammed bin Salman's orders, with many confined and interrogated at Riyadh's glitzy Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

Most detainees, including global investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, were released after being exonerated or reaching financial settlements with the government, which says it arranged to seize more than $100 billion through such deals.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been leading a drive to rid Saudi Arabia of what he calls the 'cancer' of corruption

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been leading a drive to rid Saudi Arabia of what he calls the 'cancer' of corruption

Imprisoned in luxury: This picture, obtained by DailyMail.com in the days after the round-up, shows how 11 princes and billionaires were being held in the Riyadh Ritz Carlton +6

Imprisoned in luxury: This picture, obtained by DailyMail.com in the days after the round-up, shows how 11 princes and billionaires were being held in the Riyadh Ritz Carlton

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The huge sum, if it is successfully recovered, would be a big financial boost for the oil-dependent nation, which has seen its finances strained by low crude prices. The state budget deficit this year is projected at 195 billion riyals ($52 billion).

'You have a body that has cancer everywhere, the cancer of corruption,' Prince Mohammed said in an interview with the Washington Post.

'You need to have chemo, the shock of chemo, or the cancer will eat the body. The corrupted princes were a minority, but the bad actors got more attention. It harmed the energy of the royal family.'

Prince Alwaleed bin Talal reportedly reached a financial settlement with the government +6

Prince Alwaleed bin Talal reportedly reached a financial settlement with the government

Prince Mohammed said in the interview he maintains support from the royal family despite internal divisions that have occasionally spilled into public, such as when 11 princes were arrested last month for allegedly protesting against the government cutting payment of their utility bills.

His ambitious reform agenda, which is popular with much of Saudi Arabia's burgeoning youth population, faces resistance from some of the old guard more comfortable with the kingdom's traditions of incremental change and rule by consensus.

Critics decry the campaign as a shakedown and power play by the 32-year-old heir to the throne, who is aiming to wean Saudi Arabia off reliance on oil revenues and modernise the deeply conservative kingdom by sponsoring public concerts and lifting bans on cinemas and women driving.

Only a handful of specific allegations against those detained in the corruption crackdown have been revealed.

The attorney general has said 56 people remain in custody. They are believed to have been moved to prison after refusing to admit wrongdoing and may end up in court.

How Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is changing Saudi Arabia in 2018

Saudi Arabia has laid the groundwork for momentous social and economic changes that will take place this year, defying its conservative reputation for slow, cautious reforms.

King Salman and his ambitious 32-year-old son and heir, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, have upended decades of royal family protocol, social norms and traditional ways of doing business.

They bet instead on a young generation of Saudis hungry for change and a Saudi public fed up with corruption and government bureaucracy.

Saudi Arabia will begin issuing driving licences to women this year

Saudi Arabia will begin issuing driving licences to women this year

There is also a need to cut a budget deficit of at 195 billion riyals ($50 billion) caused by collapsing oil prices.

The world's biggest oil exporter had previously been able to rely on income from it to spend lavishly to maintain its population's standard of living and subsidise the extravagant spending of its royal princes.

The clam down on corruption that has seen 200 officials detained, including one of King Abdullah's sons, former National Guard chief Prince Miteb bin Abdullah.

He was released last month after agreeing to pay back the government $1 billion.

The conservative kingdom hosted Comic Con events here thousands of fans dressed up in their favorite action-hero costume

The conservative kingdom hosted Comic Con events here thousands of fans dressed up in their favorite action-hero costume

Hand-in-hand with economic reforms, the Kingdom is bringing about social changes.

A ban on women driving has been lifted and there are plans to begin issuing licenses to women, even allowing them to drive motorcycles.

This year women will also be allowed to attend sporting matches in national stadiums, where they were previously banned.

Movie theaters, shut down in the 1980s during a wave of ultraconservatism, are returning to the Kingdom.

Rapper Nelly performing in Saudi Arabia, one of many entertainers who made it to the country +6

Rapper Nelly performing in Saudi Arabia, one of many entertainers who made it to the country

Previously, Saudis could stream movies online, watch them on satellite TV or travel to neighboring countries like Bahrain and the UAE.

This past year, rapper Nelly and two Games of Thrones stars came to Saudi Arabia for the first time. John Travolta also visited the Kingdom, meeting with fans and talking to them about the US film industry.

Saudi Arabia also held two Comic Con events in major cities, where thousands of fans dressed up in their favorite action-hero costumes.

Actors Julian Glover and Charles Dance, Grand Maester Pycelle and Tywin Lannister from HBO's 'Game of Thrones', made an appearance at one as rock music blared in the halls.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5444269/Saudi-crown-prince-said-anti-corruption-drive-chemo.html#ixzz58OoIj4IA

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