King Salman of Saudi Arabia fired two royal officials and sent them along with four military officers through an official royal decree and state media issued on Tuesday morning to investigate corruption in the Ministry of Defense.
The decree states that Prince Fahd bin
Turki bin Abdulaziz Al Saud will be removed’ from the post of commander of the
joint forces in the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen, and his son Prince
Abdul Aziz bin Fahd will be removed from Al-Jawf. The region's deputy governor
has resigned.
He said the decision was based’ on the
disappearance of an anti-corruption committee to investigate Crown Prince
Muhammad bin Salman's "suspicious financial transactions in the Ministry
of Defense".
After inheriting the throne in a palace
coup that ousted his predecessor in 2017, Prince Mohammed launched an
anti-corruption campaign that arrested several royalty, ministers and
businessmen at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh. Most were released’ after
reaching unknown settlements with the state.
The young prince has made the fight
against corruption a pillar of his reform. Critics saw the crown prince as a
grip on the prince's power, who sought to overthrow his rivals, seize control
of the country's security apparatus, and end dissent. Has gone
Authorities ended the Ritz campaign after
15 months, but said the government would continue to work after corruption by
state employees. In March, authorities arrested about 300 government officials,
including military and security officials, on charges of bribery and
exploitation of public office.
According to the Saudi daily Arab News,
Prince Fahd was the commander of the Royal Saudi Ground Forces, paratroopers
units and Special Forces before becoming commander of the joint forces in the
coalition. His father was a former deputy defense minister.
The decree states that the Crown Prince
nominated Lt. Gen. Mutlaq bin Salem bin Mutlaq al-Azeema to replace Prince
Fahd.
The coalition intervened in 2015 against
the Iranian-linked Houthi movement in Yemen, which ousted the Saudi-backed
government in Sanaa. The conflict, seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and
Iran, has been strained’ for years.
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