Riyadh hotel holding some of Saudi Arabia’s anti-graft detainees

Some of those detained in the Saudi Arabia’s anti-corruption crackdown have been held in Riyadh’s opulent Ritz-Carlton hotel, according to sources in contact with the government and guests whose plans had been disrupted. Saudi authorities have arrested dozens of royal family members, officials and businessmen in the anti-graft purge that began on Saturday (November 4). They face allegations of money laundering, bribery, extortion and exploiting public office for personal gain. The hotel’s exterior gate has been shuttered since Sunday (November 4) and guards turned away a Reuters reporter, saying it had been closed for security reasons. None of the detainees in the hotel have been named yet. The hotel and an adjacent facility were the site of an international conference promoting Saudi Arabia as an investment destination just two weeks ago attended by at least one of those now being held for questioning.