Okaz says more detain­ees will be releas­ed in the coming days and trial procee­dings will begin soonSAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Arabia has released 23 of the 200-or-so powerful individuals detained since November on corruption charges after they reached deals with the government, Okaz newspaper reported on Tuesday. UAE bans poultry imports from Saudi Arabia amid bird flu outbreakOkaz said more detainees would be released in the coming days and trial proceedings would begin soon for those who continue to deny the charges against them. Saudi authorities see the settlements not as blackmail but as an obligation to reimburse money taken illegally from the world’s top oil producer over several decades. Video posted on social media showed a smiling Saoud al-Daweesh, the former chief executive of Saudi Telecom, telling well-wishers he had been treated decently. Saudi officials did not respond to requests for comment.

Source: The Express Tribune December 27, 2017 08:37 UTC