Saudi Crown Prince’s scandal exposed
Last Updated on November 22, 2024 6:07 am
The Saudi Crown Prince and de facto ruler of one of the richest countries in the Middle East, Mohammed bin Salman, has been accused of atrocities. He gave security forces the power to kill anyone who stood in the way of implementing his ambitious Neom City. This time, another serious accusation and scandal has been exposed against him.
This information was reported in a report by Middle East Eye on Wednesday (November 20).
A report by the global human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that the Saudi Crown Prince is accused of misusing state funds and power and widespread human rights violations.
HRW published a report on Wednesday. The 93-page report said that since assuming executive power in the state in 2017, the Saudi Crown Prince has been seizing the companies and properties of dissident businessmen and billionaires in the name of an anti-corruption campaign.
Crown Prince bin Salman has included these seized assets in the state fund Public Investment Fund. A decade ago, where the fund’s assets were $84 billion, the fund’s assets have now reached $925 billion. The Saudi crown prince has overall control over the PIF by virtue of his position. As a result, his decision on how the fund’s money will be spent is final.
The name of the largest project under the PIF is ‘NEOM’. It is a sci-fi city with state-of-the-art civil services in the heart of the desert. Human Rights Watch claims that the Saudi government is accused of forcing workers working in various PIF projects, including NEOM, to work overtime, mistreatment and torture, and serious violations of international labor laws. The report says that almost all of the workers working in various PIF projects are migrant workers or poor and working-class people from rural areas of the country.
After taking power in 2017, Mohammed bin Salman announced that he would reduce his dependence on oil and strengthen other economic sectors. He said that by 2030, his government wants to make tourism, education and other economic sectors more powerful than oil. To this end, the Saudi administration is implementing all major mega projects.