After months of being held at the Ritz-Carlton Riyadh amid demands for money from the successor to the Saudi throne, a group of detainees including Saudi Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal have been transported to a prison, according to reporting from the London-based Al-Araby Al-Jadeed news site.
Sources told the news site that nearly 60 detainees were transferred to Al-Ha’ir prison, the Kingdom’s highest-security prison. The prisoners include Bin Talal, a major stakeholder in Four Season Hotels and Resorts, the former governor of Riyadh, Prince Turki Bin Abdullah, and a number of government officials who refused to meet financial demands made by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who orchestrated their detention as part of what has been called a sweeping anti-corruption crackdown.
Last month, led by bin Salman, Saudi authorities reportedly demanded at least US$6 billion from Al-waleed to be released from detention, according to the Wall Street Journal. At that time, it was also reported that Bin Talal, who has an estimated net worth of US$19 billion, was negotiating to surrender a large piece of his Kingdom Holding Co. in lieu of the money.
As early as November, images and video coming from the Ritz-Carlton Riyadh showed Bin Talal and the other detained princes and ministers sleeping on the floor of a ballroom at the hotel.
At that time, a message on the hotel’s website read: “Due to unforeseen circumstances, the hotel’s internet and telephone lines are currently disconnected until further notice.” As of Wednesday, a search on Booking.com showed the Ritz-Carlton Riyadh available for booking at the end of February.
The country’s attorney general has previously confirmed that detainees had been subjected to detailed interrogations. Members of the royal family have also reportedly been prohibited from leaving the country.