Among those targeted in this week's purges in Saudi Arabia are: Among the purged Prince Meteib bin Abdullah, 65, commander of the elite Saudi Arabian National Guard and son of the late king Abdullah. He is accused of embezzlement, hiring ghost employees and awarding contracts to his own companies including a $19 billion deal for walkie-talkies and bulletproof military gear, according to Reuters. Among the purged Prince Al-Walid bin Talal, one of the world's 500 richest people, with a $19 billion net worth. He is CEO of the Kingdom Holding Company and grandson of the first Saudi monarch king Saud. Bin Talal is a shareholder in dozens of global brands, including Fox News, Apple, Twitter, Citigroup and Twenty-First Century Fox. With investments of $6 billion, Bin Talal had pledged to invest $800 million in August to expand the Four Seasons resort in Sharm El-Sheikh in partnership with the Talaat Mustafa Holding Group. He owns 40 hotels and beach resorts in Egypt in addition to another 18 under construction. Despite reassurances by Egypt's Ministry of Investment concerning the “stability” of Saudi investments in the country, which are directly managed by the Saudi government, the deal with Talaat Mustafa Holding is now uncertain. “It's now impossible to expect further investments from Bin Talal and the KHC,” said economic researcher Mahmoud Negm. Saudi investments are more directly affected by local developments “because business in the kingdom is more personalised and less institutionalised than in most countries,” Negm added. Bin Talal faces allegations of money laundering, bribery and extorting money from officials. Among the purged Prince Turki bin Abdullah, 46, a former governor of Riyadh. He faces accusations of corruption in the Riyadh Metro project and taking advantage of his influence to award contracts to his own companies. Among the purged Prince Fahd bin Abdullah, 76, a former deputy defence minister. He became commander of the marine forces in the Royal Saudi Navy in 2002, chief of the operations authority of the Naval Forces, director at the office of the minister of defence and inspector-general and deputy commander of the naval forces. Among the purged Adel Al-Fakieh, a minister of economy and planning who was heavily involved in the preparatory work for Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 economic transformation plan, former mayor of Jeddah. Among the purged Prince Turki bin Nasser bin Saud, a former head of the Saudi Environmental Protection Agency who reportedly owns 200 classic cars, a business jet and houses in London, Barcelona and Beverley Hills. Among the purged Khaled Al-Tuwajri, a former chief of the royal court during the reign of the late king Abdullah. Among the purged Ibrahim Al-Assaf, 68, a former minister of finance for 20 years and replaced in 2016. Hailing from an academic background, Al-Assaf represented Saudi Arabia in the IMF and World Bank before his appointment as finance minister in 1996. He is also a member of the board of directors of Saudi Aramco, the state-owned national oil company, chairman of the Saudi Fund for Development and a member of the Public Investment Fund board. Al-Assaf is accused of embezzlement related to the expansion of Mecca's Grand Mosque and taking advantage of his position and inside information to purchase land. Among the purged Mohamed Al-Tobaishi, 64, a former head of protocol at the royal court under king Abdullah. He was replaced in 2015 after reportedly slapping a journalist during a visit by the Moroccan monarch King Mohamed VI to Saudi Arabia. Among the purged Saleh Kamel, 71, chairman and founder of the Dallah Al-Baraka Group, chairman of the General Council for Islamic Banks and the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and one of the pioneers of Islamic finance, receiving Malaysia's Royal Award for Islamic Finance in 2010. Kamel has been involved in efforts to expand trade among member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and in promoting Jeddah as a leading international port and hub for global commerce. His net worth is estimated at $3.7 billion. He was a pioneer in investing in the media and is married to Egyptian actress Safaa Abul-Seoud. Among the purged Nasser Al-Tayyar, 60, a travel agency mogul and owner of the UAE-based Forbes Middle East. His net worth is some $600 million. Among the purged Amr Al-Dabbagh, governor of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority from 2004 to 2012, who played a role in increasing foreign investment in the kingdom.
Abdullah Al-Sultan bin Mohamed Al-Sultan, commander of the Saudi naval forces. Among the purged Mohamed Al-Amoudi, 71, the second-richest Saudi business mogul with investments linked to oil and global commodities. Also known as the biggest investor in Renaissance Dam in Ethiopia. Al-Amoudi's net worth is approximately $10 billion, according to Forbes magazine. Among the purged Bakr bin Laden, 71, chairman of the Bin Laden Group, one of Saudi Arabia's largest construction companies with a revenue of $3 billion in 2016. He is the older half-brother of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Among the purged Al-Walid Ibrahim, owner and head of the influential MBC media group and brother-in-law of the late Saudi king Fahd. MBC was the first private free-to-air satellite broadcasting company in the Arab world. Launched in London in 1991 before moving to Dubai in 2002, it provides 11 channels including Al-Arabiya, the 24-hour Arabic-language news channel. Among the purged Mansour Al-Balwi, former chairman of the Al-Ittihad Sports Club and one of the richest people in Saudi Arabia. Among the purged Khaled Abdullah Al-Melhem, general manager of Saudi Airlines. Among the purged Saud Al-Dawish, 58, former chief executive of the Saudi Telecom Company. He is also chairman of the Board of Commissioners of Natrindo Telepon Seluler (Mobile) in Indonesia.
