RIYADH, Nov. 9 -- Saudi Arabia announced on Thursday that seven people out of total 208 detained for corruption charges have been released, Al Arabiya local news reported.
The Attorney-General Sheikh Saud Al Moaajeb revealed the release in a statement to highlight the latest development related to the action initiated by the recently instituted High Commission against Corruption.
He confirmed that the investigations on the individuals who have been summoned are proceeding rapidly and updates will be provided. The seven detainees were released for lack of sufficient evidence against them.
The committee this week ordered the arrest of princes and top government officials after Saudi Arabia had announced on Thursday a new list of people suspected of corruption. The involved funds were frozen, and the arrest action also targetted managers and officials of government and judicial institutions.
Sheikh Saud said "the financial value of these decades-long (corruption) practices hits a very large amount of misappropriated and unutilized public funds, and the potential value of these may exceed 100 billion U.S. dolars, according to initial investigations."
Further evidence to prove the facts in these corruption cases will continue to be collected, he said, stressing "this action confirms the findings of our preliminary investigation over the past three years on the scale of these corrupt practices."