RIYADH: Treasures of cash have been seized, some of them hidden in false ceilings and water tanks, in a growing crackdown on anti-corruption in Saudi Arabia that has evoked both wonder and fear.
The crackdown, which has ensnared high-ranking military officers as well as low-level bureaucrats, is widely dubbed “mini ritz“operation, a reference to a 2017 raid that saw princes and tycoons locked up in Riyadh’s Ritz-Carlton hotel on corruption charges.
In dramatic gumshoe-style investigations published in state media, the official anti-corruption agency Nazaha says it has caught bribery seekers “red-handed” in live raids and sniffed out illicit money hidden in attics, an underground safe and even a mosque.
The crackdown has led to dozens of arrests in recent months and sent confiscated cash into state coffers, earning praise from the public.
The Saudis have been offered a toll-free number to report any suspected cases of corruption.
“The message that the (Saudis) rulers are sending to the corrupt is that ‘they will not go to the Ritz, they will go to a real prison,'” a local official told AFP, who did not want to be named.
“Anyone who takes bribes and kickbacks now fears, ‘Are we next?'”
Underscoring the seriousness of the campaign, Nazaha reported in October the arrest of one of its own employees for corruption.
Saudi Arabia, ranked 51st out of 180 countries on Transparency International’s corruption index, has for decades faced endemic corruption and the deeply ingrained social practice of “wasta,” or the use of personal influence and connections to get ahead.
But the issue has gained a new spotlight since November 2017, when the opulent Ritz-Carlton became a golden prison for dozens of elites dragged down by a purge that critics labeled a crackdown and a government takeover. Heir Prince. Mohammed bin Salman.
After weeks of detention, wealthy princes and businessmen were released after agreeing to major financial deals, and authorities said they recovered more than $ 107 billion.
The recent campaign, targeting everyone from powerful defense chiefs to low-key municipal, health and environmental officials, bolsters the iron reign of Prince Mohammed, the 35-year-old heir to the throne who already controls all major levers of power. .
As one observer in the kingdom put it, the campaign emphasizes that “there is only one bailiff in the city.”
Prince Mohammed told the Shura Advisory Council last month that the anti-corruption campaign had generated 247 billion riyals ($ 66 billion) over the past three years, plus billions more in assets, real estate and stocks. .
But the crackdown has raised concerns, and Human Rights Watch earlier this year warned of “unfair legal proceedings” in an opaque judicial system.
There has also been silent speculation about whether the cleanup was a cover to replenish the state’s coffers amid a severe economic recession.
A Saudi academic said he suspects that “the real targets are not corrupt, but fines and new sources of revenue.”
There is no transparency, the academic told AFP, about how the government will use the seized cash and assets.
Others have suggested that the campaign aims to eliminate security officials who do not consider themselves loyal enough to the rulers.
“While I imagine there are some political opponents caught in the web of corruption, the main reasons for the crackdown are to end corruption, spur development and raise much needed funds,” said David Rundell, former head of mission of the US embassy in Riyadh. AFP.
“And it seems to be working. Many Saudi businessmen tell me that corruption has decreased, it has not gone away, but it has decreased and it has become less socially acceptable,” he added.
Local observers describe the push as a necessary shock therapy to steer the petro-state away from a decades-long culture of excess and bad responsibility that it cannot afford in an era of soft oil prices.
The widespread “cancer” of corruption was “endangering development and prosperity”, draining “between five and 15 percent” of the annual state budget, Prince Mohammed told the Shura Council.
But generating speculation that it was also a tool against political rivals, Washington Post columnist David Ignatius wrote in July that the kingdom was preparing “charges of corruption and disloyalty” against the deposed former crown prince. Mohammed bin Nayef, who has been detained since March.
The Saudi authorities have not publicly commented on the reasons for his arrest.
To further unleash the shockwaves, the commander of the joint forces, Prince Fahad bin Turki, a senior royal, and his son Abdulaziz bin Fahad, the deputy emir of the northern Al-Jouf region, were fired. late August and placed under investigation for corruption.
Such moves illustrate an attempt by the Saudi establishment to “undermine potential opponents,” Capital Economics said in September.
“The experience of the 2017 anti-corruption purge is that this could undermine renewed efforts to increase foreign investment in the kingdom,” he said.
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