Saudi Aramco director held with top officials in corruption crackdown
Riyadh — A Saudi Aramco director and a member of the royal council overseeing the world’s biggest oil exporter were arrested with other top officials as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman seeks to strengthen his hand amid a reform push that includes a stake sale in the company in 2018. The board member, Ibrahim Al-Assaf, a former finance minister, was among at least 17 princes, current and former government ministers and businessmen taken into custody, according to an infographic published by Al-Eqtisadiah newspaper. Adel Fakeih, the minister of economy and planning and a member of Saudi Arabia’s oversight council, was relieved of his post and replaced by his deputy, according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency. There was no indication of wrongdoing by Aramco, known officially as Saudi Arabian Oil Co, which couldn’t immediately be reached for comment on the arrests. Authorities didn’t disclose the evidence that prompted the arrests and said the suspects were under investigation and w...
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