Saudi Arabia dismisses the commander of the international coalition over corruption

By royal decree and under accusations of alleged corruption. Thus the King of Saudi Arabia, Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, has ordered the dismissal of the commander of the international coalition that led the Saudi forces in Yemen, Fahd bin Turki bin Abdulaziz al-Saud. 

Along with the dismissal of the lieutenant general, several official positions and Ministry of Defence officials were also dismissed due to suspicions in several corruption cases, according to the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

In a statement issued, the Saudi news agency detailed that: "The king has decided that Lieutenant General Fahd bin Turki bin Abdulaziz al Saud will retire and it has been decided to open an investigation against him".

According to Arab News, the monarch's decision was based on a referral from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the Bureau of Control and Anti-Corruption to investigate what the decree described as "suspicious financial transactions supervised by the Ministry of Defence". 

This Bureau revealed "multiple corruption cases" in the ministry linked to the military chief, who will be replaced by the deputy chief of general staff, Lieutenant Mutlaq bin Salim bin Mutlaq al-Azima. This announcement marks the government's latest gesture against what is endemic corruption in the kingdom. 

After becoming heir to the throne in 2017, Mohammed bin Salman launched an anti-corruption campaign as a pillar of his reforms, which saw dozens of royalty, ministers and businessmen arrested. Critics of Bin Salman say these movements are closer to sidelining his political rivals than to cleaning up the country's corruption. 

In March the Saudi authorities arrested nearly 300 government officials, including military and security officials, on charges of bribery and exploitation of public office. Human Rights Watch expressed alarm at the arrests and warned of possible "unfair legal proceedings".