Saudi Arabia princes arrested in anti-corruption drive: Here is everything you need to know

(L-R): Prince Mitaib bin Abdul Aziz and Prince Alwaleed bin Talal (AP/Reuters)

Saudi Arabia has arrested 11 princes and close to a dozen former ministers in an anti-corruption drive on Saturday. The state-owned Al-Arabiya news channel had reported that the arrested princes have been stripped of their high-ranking administrative posts.

This comes in the light of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman being named as the head of a new anti-corruption committee, which is conducting probes into the disastrous floods of 2009 that wreaked havoc in Jeddah. The committee is also trying to find out how the state agencies handled the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus which has claimed hundreds of lives in the past few years.

The committee can issue arrest warrants and ban people from travelling, the BBC reported. It also has the power to block bank accounts, trace and prevent fund transfer, put a stop to liquidation of assets and order further measures as deemed fit to prevent graft until the court takes over the case.

Here are the prominent princes who have been arrested or removed:

Prince Miteb bin Abdullah: The former head of the Saudi National Guard, which will now be headed by Prince Khalid bin Ayyaf al-Muqrin, was the most favoured son of the late King Abdullah. Prince Mitaib was widely expected to succeed the throne after his father. But Prince Mohammed rise to the top has put brakes on his succession plans.

Adel Fakeih: The minister of Economy and Planning, Adel Fakeih was replaced by Mohammad al-Tuwaijri. He previously served as the mayor of Jeddah city. Fakieh, who has a degree in engineering, has previously served as the minister of labor and minister of health.

Admiral Abdullah Al-Sultan: The former commander of Saudi Naval Forces was fired and replaced with Admiral Fahd bin Abdullah Al-Ghifaili.

Prince Alwaleed bin Talal: Talal, a business tycoon, has a net worth of almost $ 18 billion. He sparred several times with US President Donald Trump on Twitter. Talal is said to be a big investor in multi-national companies such as Apple, Twitter and the Citigroup, among others. He is also one of the world’s wealthiest men.