RIYADH: Saudi King Salman has ordered specialised anti-corruption units to be established in the public prosecutor’s office, the government said on Sunday, several weeks after a sweeping anti-graft purge of the kingdom’s elite.

The move was intended to “increase effectiveness” and acc­el­erate the process of combating corruption, Attorney General Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb was quoted as saying in a statement released through the information ministry.

The statement did not offer any specific details on the operation of the units except that they will investigate and prosecute corruption cases.

The decision comes after Saudi Arabia held dozens of princes, ministers and tycoons in Riyadh’s luxury Ritz-Carlton hotel in early November, in an anti-corruption push led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Some critics labelled the campaign a shakedown and power grab, but authorities insist the purge targeted endemic corruption as the country prepares for a post-oil era.

Mojeb has previously said that $107 billion was recovered in the crackdown in various forms of assets that included property, securities and cash.

Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2018

Opinion

Editorial

Agriculture concerns
24 Jun, 2025

Agriculture concerns

PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif appears relieved that the IMF did not turn down Pakistan’s request to exempt...
OIC reaction
Updated 24 Jun, 2025

OIC reaction

The bare minimum OIC can do is to take firm action against the butchery of Palestinian people and resist regime change.
NEVs, but for whom?
24 Jun, 2025

NEVs, but for whom?

THE government’s policy gymnastics following Pakistan’s unexpectedly rapid adoption of rooftop solar have ...
US aggression
Updated 23 Jun, 2025

US aggression

If there is any state in the world that the international community must be concerned about harbouring weapons of mass destruction, it is Israel.
Finishing the job
23 Jun, 2025

Finishing the job

THE federal health minister’s assertion of a 99pc reduction in polio cases in Pakistan, while impressive on the...
Exam leaks
23 Jun, 2025

Exam leaks

FOR students who put in countless hours of hard work for their secondary school exams — mainly to secure admission...