Riyadh’s ‘luxury prison’ reopens
Riyadh, February 11
Riyadh’s Ritz-Carlton Hotel reopened on Sunday, more than three months after it was converted into a gilded prison for members of Saudi Arabia’s business and political elite detained in an anti-corruption purge.
The gates of the luxury hotel, where US President Donald Trump stayed during his state visit last year, had been shuttered and patrolled by black-uniformed royal guard units while dozens of princes, former ministers and business tycoons were interrogated inside.
The detainees were removed from the hotel two weeks ago, most released after cutting a deal with the authorities or being exonerated, an apparent sign that the corruption investigation, which sent shockwaves through the business community, was winding down.
A handful of smart-suited businessmen, forced to decamp to other hotels since November, returned to the Ritz on Sunday. “It’s an honour (to be back),” said one foreign consultant as he waited for a luxury car to take him to work.
He said the purge had not left any trace on the 492-room hotel where the lowest rate is 2,439 riyals ($650) a night. “You forget about it as soon as you’re in your room and you get lost in your own bubble.”
Managers declined an interview request, but the company confirmed in a statement that the hotel had “resumed normal business operations as of today”.
Among the most high-profile occupants during the anti-corruption campaign were global investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal and Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, once seen as a leading contender for the throne. Prince Miteb was freed after agreeing to pay over $1 billion, a Saudi official told Reuters.
Prince Alwaleed maintained his innocence of any corruption in a Reuters interview hours before his release. A senior Saudi official later said he was freed after reaching a financial settlement, without detailing the terms.
The attorney general has said the government had arranged to seize more than $106 billion through such agreements, an assertion Reuters has been unable to verify.
Critics decried the campaign as a shakedown and power play by 32-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is aiming to overhaul the way the deeply conservative kingdom is run and wean it off dependence on oil revenues. — Reuters
Incarcerated in lavish hotel
- For more than three months, Riyadh’s Ritz-Carlton was a holding place of princes and ministers detained in an anti-corruption purge
- The luxury hotel was closed for business since the probe was launched on November 4 by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
- The five-star hotel is a far cry from a gritty prison cell—it boasts majestic suites and pastel-hued hallways awash with bronze statues and glittering chandeliers
