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Crown Princess Haifa said in testimony to Dutch police that Saudi Arabia had planned to show her a pre-recorded message of love and asked her to come to their consulate
Daughter of former Saudi official says kingdom attempted to lure her to consulate in Istanbul
The daughter of the former Saudi Arabian ambassador to Washington told Dutch police she believed her family had been tried by Saudi Arabia and wanted her to come to their Istanbul consulate, where she was asked to reconcile with her husband, Turkey’s semi-official Anadolu news agency reported on Saturday.
Crown Princess Haifa said in testimony to Dutch police that Saudi Arabia had planned to show her a pre-recorded message of love and asked her to come to their consulate, where she said she and her husband, Abdullah bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, were asked to reconcile, the agency said.
Crown princess and former Saudi diplomat among detainees in alleged corruption probe Read more
Saudi-born Haifa and her husband have been detained in the sweeping investigation, part of an anti-corruption campaign launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), the kingdom’s de facto ruler. The detention of the two top royals and dozens of officials, businessmen and family members has been seized on by MBS critics.
Haifa and her husband were taken from the Palais Coburg hotel in Istanbul in the early hours of last Tuesday, according to media reports and family friends, who said the pair were tortured during the investigation and had their phones and other personal effects taken away.
Police also searched the palace in their Riyadh home in what was seen as an attempt to locate other family members, and some of them were also detained. The family friends, who spoke on condition of anonymity, have said they were told they would be sent home on 24 March, before being released.
Anadolu said police seized documents and electronic equipment from the consulate on Thursday. It said the consulate would be on lockdown through Monday, pending the investigation.
Turkish officials have not made any announcements about the status of the alleged corruption probe, saying they were continuing their work.