DUBAI (Reuters) – Saudi King Salman has ordered the establishment of specialized departments in the public prosecutor’s office to investigate and prosecute corruption cases, the government’s information office said in a statement on Sunday.
The move is intended to increase effectiveness and accelerate the process of combating corruption, the statement quoted Attorney General Sheikh Saud al-Mujib as saying.
Saudi authorities detained hundreds of top businessmen and royals in November and held them for several months at the Riyadh Ritz-Carlton in a sweeping anti-corruption probe.
Most detainees have since been released after reaching financial settlements with the government, but several dozen others remain in custody and may stand trial.
Officials have not released the names of those still held, the allegations against them or plans for how the cases could be prosecuted.
(Reporting by Sami Aboudi; Writing by Katie Paul; Editing by Mark Potter)
