11 Saudi princes have been arrested after they held a rally to protest a royal decision to make princes pay for their electricity and water consumption, reported UAE publication Gulf News on Saturday.
The princes also demanded financial compensation for a ruling against one of their cousins, said the Gulf News report, quoting Saudi news site Sabq and Al Marsad.
The princes were informed that their actions were wrong and that they should vacate Qasr Al Hokm, a historic royal palace, but they refused to comply, added the report.
According to a report in The National, also published on Saturday, “A royal order was issued to the royal guards … to intervene and they [the princes] were detained and put into Al Hayer prison in preparation to put them on trial.”
Dozens of princes, officials and businessmen were detained in Saudi Arabia on corruption charges in November last year, about 200 people questioned, and over 2,000 bank accounts frozen in the crackdown.
In December, 23 of the powerful individuals detained were released after they reached deals with the government.
