Saudi Arabia to freeze accounts of detained suspects in corruption probe

Saudi authorities have announced to freeze the bank accounts of suspects detained in corruption probe in the country.

Al-Arabiya quoted officials as saying that there is "no preferential treatment" in the handling of their cases.

According to the report, the Saudi Center for International Communication, an initiative of the Ministry of Culture and Information, said that sums of money which appear to be linked to corruption cases will be reimbursed to the Saudi state's General Treasury.

The development comes after eleven princes, including prominent billionaire investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal and dozens of current and former ministers, were detained in an investigation by an anti-corruption committee in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.

The creation of a powerful new anti-corruption committee by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, is being headed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The committee has announced fresh investigations into the 2009 Jeddah floods and the outbreak of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus, which emerged in Saudi Arabia in 2012.

The committee has been given the authority to investigate arrest, ban from travel, disclose and freeze accounts and portfolios, track funds and assets of individuals involved in corruption, said the state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

The arrests are being viewed as the latest move to consolidate the power of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the favourite son and top adviser of King Salman.