Miteb bin Abdullah, a senior Saudi Prince, has been released after agreeing to pay over $1 billion.
He was part of over 200 princes, businessmen, and government ministers who have been detained in an alleged corruption investigation.
Some view the investigation as a vehicle to strengthen the power of Crown Prine Mohammed Bin Salman.
An official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Miteb was released earlier in the week after reaching an “acceptable settlement agreement.” The sum he paid was thought to be over 1 billion dollars.
The official, according to Reuters, also said that it is thought the release settlement involved admitting to known corruption cases.
Prince Miteb was detained for three weeks after being accused of embezzlement, the use of ghost employees, and the awarding of contracts to his own firms. He was once a contender to the throne.
Prince Miteb was by far one of the most influential royals detained. He was the minister of the National Guard with control of over 100,000 personnel. He lost that position just hours before being arrested.
The authorities have yet to publicly name any of the 200 people who have been detained.
No details of the charges they face have been released. Those detained for alleged “questioning” are believed to have not been given access to their lawyers.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is leading the anti-corruption drive, said that 95% of those detained had agreed to hand over some of their finances to the State after they “we show them all the files that we have.”
The Crown Prince denies allegations of a power-grab, pointing out that many of those detained had pledged allegiance to him when his father, King Salman, named him first-in-line to the throne earlier in the year.
The Crown Prince hopes to recover the majority of the $100 that is alleged to have been lost through corruption and embezzlement.
