Riyadh, Nov 10: Saudi Arabia said Thursday 201 people are being held for questioning in a massive anti-graft swoop on the elite, with at least $100 billion estimated to have been lost through corruption and embezzlement over several decades.
"A total of 208 individuals have been called in for questioning so far. Of those 208 individuals, seven have been released without charge," a statement issued from the office of the Attorney General Sheikh Saud Al-Muajab said.
Several high-profile figures were arrested or sacked last weekend in the biggest purge of the Kingdom's elite in its modern history.
Authorities have frozen the bank accounts of the accused and warned that assets related to the corruption cases would be seized as state property, as the government appears set to widen the crackdown.
"The potential scale of corrupt practices which have been uncovered is very large," the statement said.
"Based on our investigations over the past three years, we estimate that at least $100 billion has been misused through systematic corruption and embezzlement over several decades."
The purge came just after an anti-graft commission headed by Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, was established on Saturday.
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