Reported by Vincent Noce

Amr al-Madani, the head of the Al-Ula project in Saudi Arabia, was arrested over corruption allegations on 28 January. 

The chief executive of the huge development project in the country’s northwestern province is accused of “abuse of authority and money laundering“, a source from the Saudi anti-corruption agency (Nazaha) told local media. 

The allegations concern events prior to his Al-Ula appointment in 2017. He is accused of having benefited from contracts given by the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy, a public scientific research fund, to a company he co-owns. The contracts were worth $55m. The source from the anti-corruption authority says that three of his partners have also been arrested, have made confessions and are now awaiting trial.

Amr al-Madani’s arrest is the latest twist in the saga surrounding the vast cultural development of Al-Ula, one of the most ambitious projects launched by Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman as part of his “Vision 2030” programme.

Read full report: https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2024/01/29/head-saudi-arabia-al-ula-cultural-development-arrested-corruption