BREAKING NEWS

Saudi hotel to reopen after being used as prison in corruption purge

RIYADH - The luxury Riyadh hotel used as a prison during Saudi Arabia's crackdown on corruption will reopen for business next month, according to a company employee and its website, suggesting authorities are close to settling the cases of many suspects.
Dozens of princes, senior officials and top businessmen were detained and confined in the opulent Ritz-Carlton Riyadh as the government launched the purge in early November. The hotel was closed to normal business.
On Monday, an employee at the office taking bookings for the hotel, who declined to be named, told Reuters by telephone that bookings by the public would be accepted from February 14.
The hotel's website now accepts bookings from Febbruary 14, quoting a nightly rate for its cheapest room of 2,439 riyals ($650).