Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal released, say family sources

He expects to keep full control of his global investment firm Kingdom Holding Co. without being required to give up assets to the government.

Saudi Arabian billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal sits for an interview with Reuters in the office of the suite where he has been detained at the Ritz-Carlton in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on January 27, 2018.

Saudi Arabia's Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has been released from detention, family sources said on January 27, more than two months after he was taken into custody in the kingdom’s sweeping crackdown on corruption.

The billionaire's release came hours after he told Reuters in an exclusive interview at the opulent Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh that he expected to be cleared of any wrongdoing and be released from custody within days.

A family source told Reuters, “He has arrived home.”

Saudi officials could not immediately be reached for comment and the terms of his release were not immediately clear.

Prince Alwaleed was confined at the hotel since early November 2017, along with dozens of others, part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s plan to consolidate control and reform oil the country.

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In his first interview since he was taken into custody, Prince Alwaleed told Reuters he was continuing to maintain his innocence of any corruption in talks with the authorities.

He said he expected to keep full control of his global investment firm Kingdom Holding Co. without being required to give up assets to the government.