Saudi Arabia ends anti-corruption campaign

Saudi Arabia has announced the end of a high-profile anti-corruption that it said had recovered more than $107 billion and has left dozens detained.

A royal court said in a statement on Wednesday authorities had summoned 381 people, some as witnesses, under the campaign launched in November 2017, but it provided no names.

It said 87 people confessed to charges against them and reached settlements that included the forfeiture of real estate, companies, cash, and other assets.

The campaign ended as abruptly as it began, despite speculation in the business community that a new round of arrests was imminent.

The crackdown on graft launched in 2017 saw hundreds of elite princes, ministers, and businessmen held at the luxury Ritz-Carlton hotel in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

Many were detained for weeks in the upmarket hotel, but most were released after agreeing on significant financial settlements.

Some detainees were reportedly tortured, which the authorities have denied.

The corruption investigation concluded Wednesday with the approval of King Salman, according to a statement released by the official Saudi Press Agency.

The public prosecutor refused to settle the cases of 56 people due to existing criminal charges against them, the court said.

An additional eight people have seen their cases referred to the public prosecutor after they refused to reach settlements.

During the probe, more than 400 billion Saudi riyals ($107 billion) were recovered by the state "in the form of real estate, companies, cash, and other assets".

The figure matches that announced a year ago by the attorney general, who at the time said 56 suspects remained in custody.

Saudi's anti-graft sweep led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been labelled by some critics as a shakedown and power grab, but authorities have insisted the purge targeted endemic corruption.