When Riyadh's Hotel Ritz became a five-star prison
Riyadh's world-famous luxurious Ritz-Carlton hotel is now a detention centre. Since the November 4 crackdown, it's been home to 201 Saudi elite, including at least 11 princes, all accused of corruption, money laundering and power abuse. Some of the most powerful have been held captive, albeit in a palatial hotel, but against their will. Here's a glimpse of their lives inside the gilded prison.
Crown Prince Salman's way of tackling corruption in Saudi Arabia
It is Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's way of tackling the rampant corruption in the country. Instead of jailing the suspects, dragging them to court or publicly shaming them, which could have led to a massive social, political and economic upheaval, Prince Salman has detained them in a five-star hotel, kept their names a secret, and is encouraging out-of-court settlements.
Detainees have agreed to surrender illegal wealth for freedom
According to the BBC, 95% of those detained at Ritz-Carlton have agreed to an out-of-court settlement, which means they will have to surrender significant amounts of their wealth (an estimated total of $800 billion) to the Saudi treasury in exchange for their freedom. About 1,900 bank accounts of the suspects and their family members have been frozen so far as part of the exercise.
Shock, disbelief, anger among Ritz's special guests
Most of the 201 of Ritz's "special guests" couldn't believe it when they were first detained. They took it to be a temporary show which they thought would fizzle out only too soon. But it didn't. Of course, they were angry. It's not every day that the VIPs of a rich nation are called out as thieves and holed up together, lest they escape.
A pre-investigation, a friendly process
A team under Prince Salman has reportedly been compiling alleged evidence against the suspects since the last two years. The investigative team began hunting once the royal decree sanctioned the formation of a new anti-corruption committee. This crackdown is reportedly a pre-investigation, a supposedly friendly process, in which people are just being asked to return the money they have wrongfully amassed over the years.
Life behind closed doors
Wanting to avoid meeting others, most inmates stay holed up inside their rooms, trying to find a way out of captivity. With all the luxuries of a five-star hotel, they also have a health centre with round-the-clock professional assistance. Inmates can even order special medicines from their homes. However, with their smartphones taken away, the detainees can make calls only from their room numbers.
