Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s dream of a new Saudi reality is just getting weirder. Instead of improving his people’s living situation, MBS continues to spend billions of dollars hosting major entertainment, cultural, and sporting events as a deliberate strategy to deflect his image as a pervasive human rights violator.
Saudi security sources revealed that “Mike Wolf”, a former British officer who spent 17 years as a partner in the “Control Risks Group” (CRG) company, is expected to lead the intelligence and security unit in the Saudi “Qiddiya project”, an entertainment megacity project on the outskirts of Riyadh.
A $10 billion project will never come true
The Qiddiya project relies on 20 international companies to design the scheme, with a total area of 334 square kilometers, at a cost of $10 billion.
Qiddiya Investment Company earlier declares that its project aims to solve the unemployment problem and increase domestic spending.
However, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Qiddiya, MBS, makes the project part of his corruption empire of corruption which continues to waste billions of dollars on unreal projects.
Experts affirmed that the project will not be completed on time, as satellite images showed that nothing has been built yet in the desert.
Criticising the huge spending on a park project, the experts said that the funding had to be spent on real projects.
Qiddiya is not the first corruption file and it will not be the last
Saudi King Salman and his crown prince Mohammed bin Salman have been involved in several corruption files in total disregard to the kingdom’s political fate.
Since becoming in office in 2015, King Salman appointed his son as Defense Minister and then Crown Prince in 2017 after a soft coup, pushing the Kingdom into a series of crises.
Observers reported twelve corruption files related to King Salman and his son, including the disappearance of one trillion Saudi riyals from the state treasury, the huge spending on Yemen war, the economic downturn, and the military deals.
MBS lavish spending
The Saudi royal family is among the 5 richest families in the world, with a fortune of $95 billion, taking advantage of the country’s oil reserves over the past 50 years
MBS has ruled since 2017 and is believed to have a fortune of just US$3 billion, which is insufficient for his financial adventures.
Since becoming in office, MBS launched a series of unreal economic plans and promises. He has led the kingdom into the abyss, especially after his involvement in the Yemen war, the Qatar and Iran crises, and journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder.
Following the 2017 crackdown on businessmen and members of the royal family, MBS deposited the seized funds in his personal accounts instead of the kingdom’s treasury.
