Power Struggle and Corruption Allegations: Unraveling Saudi Arabia’s Intrigues

Saudi activist Jasser Al-Madi, known for being influential on social media platforms, posted a controversial tweet, addressing the inflation of pockets of those who consider themselves “counter-terrorism leaders” and their families with huge budgets allocated to them.

Al-Madi’s tweet, which deliberately avoided naming Saudi Arabia, leaving speculation open, referred to a Middle Eastern country, stating: “The anti-corruption body regularly catches corruption operations every few months in the Ministries of Defense, Interior, Guard, and Health, but the intelligence and counter-terrorism agencies have not registered any corruption operations against them.”

Conflict Consuming Everything!

He implied a conflict within the Saudi system, stating, “The head of the anti-corruption agency was previously caught in an old moral and functional corruption case, and the head of the intelligence agency stood by him. Because the intelligence director is aligned with the head of counter-terrorism, the head of the anti-corruption agency covered for both.”

Saudi writer and journalist Turki Al-Shalhoub commented on Jasser Al-Madi’s article, suggesting it as a precursor to a conflict between Mohammed bin Salman’s men that could lead to internal strife.

Al-Shalhoub explained what Jasser Al-Madi mentioned, saying, “The author of this long tweet is Jasser Al-Madi, who is one of Saoud Al-Qahtani’s arms and writes what he dictates.”

He continued, “The country mentioned in the tweet as an Arab country is Saudi Arabia, and the individuals mentioned in the tweet who are threatened and intimidated by Saoud Al-Qahtani are: the head of the anti-corruption body, the head of the state security apparatus, the head of the intelligence agency, and the governor of the investment fund.”

After the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi, Saoud Al-Qahtani Returns to the Scene!

Al-Shalhoub also added, “It seems that Saoud, who disappeared from the scene in 2017 after committing the crime of assassinating Khashoggi, may have decided to return openly now. To return, he must sweep away those mentioned, as they have deep roots in the state during his absence. He is now seeking revenge against them and to exclude them.”

He believed that the tweet Saoud posted, written and released by Jasser, contained clear accusations of corruption, cover-ups, conspiracies, and undermining state security, as well as planning for a coup against the head of the anti-corruption body (Mazen Al-Kahmous), the head of the state security apparatus (Abdulaziz Al-Huwerini), the head of the intelligence agency (Khaled Al-Hamidan), and the governor of the investment fund (Yasser Al-Rumayyan), appearing to be an introduction to betraying and arresting them to clear the way for Al-Qahtani.

But the Saudi writer also noted that “the figures threatened by Al-Qahtani are not easy; they are security, intelligence, and economic figures, and they must possess dangerous files against him as he does against them. This will put the state in a precarious situation, and we may soon witness shocks that topple high heads in the kingdom.”

Jasser Al-Madi’s post, according to him, included what he described as information and analysis, mentioning the heads of the anti-corruption body, counter-terrorism, and intelligence in Saudi Arabia: “The three work in the same trench unlike the other bodies where corruption is declared.”

He added, “Thus, there are those who create internal blocs there, similar to the deep state that was crushed in 2017, but a conspiracy occurred in that state a year later, creating reasons to rearrange the ranks of the deep state again with new names.”

Blackmail and Gaining New Loyalties!

Al-Madi concluded his statement, saying, “The arms of counter-terrorism and anti-corruption have become the ones imposing this new path, sometimes through blackmail, sometimes through favoritism, gaining new loyalties, and sometimes by crushing those belonging to the leading wing in that state.”

Nasser, the son of prominent Saudi detainee Dr. Awad Al-Qarni, spoke in a video about corruption in the media and sports apparatus in the kingdom and the conflict between two poles in the Saudi state, affecting the youth.

Al-Qarni explained that “the system of the crown prince continuously directs influencers and media personnel to serve its interests and directs them as it wishes, controlling their editorial policy.”