沙特向腐敗嫌疑人提供“交錢換自由”選項
Saudi authorities are negotiating settlements with princes and businessmen held over allegations of corruption, offering deals for the detainees to pay for their freedom, say people briefed on the discussions.
據聽取了情況通報的人士透露，沙特當局正與因涉嫌腐敗被羈押的王子和商人談判和解，向在押人員提出“交錢換自由”的交易。In some cases the government is seeking to appropriate as much as 70 per cent of suspects’ wealth, two of the people said, in a bid to channel hundreds of billions of dollars into depleted state coffers.
兩名聽取了簡報的人士稱，在某些情況下，沙特政府尋求收繳嫌疑人多達70%的財富，以求向枯竭的國庫輸送數千億美元。The arrangements, which have already seen some assets and funds handed over to the state, provide an insight into the strategy behind Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s dramatic corruption purge.
目前已有部分資產和資金被上交國家，這些安排有助於讓人瞭解穆罕默德?本?薩勒曼王儲(Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman)戲劇性反腐運動背後的策略。
The crackdown has led to the detention of hundreds of royals, ministers and the country’s richest magnates, including Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, the billionaire, Waleed al-Ibrahim, the founder of Middle East Broadcasting Center, which owns the Saudi satellite television channel Al Arabiya, and Bakr bin Laden, chairman of the Saudi Binladin construction group.
此次鎮壓已導致數百名王室成員、部長級官員和該國最富有的貴族被扣押，包括億萬富翁阿爾瓦利德?本?塔拉勒(Alwaleed bin Talal)王子，旗下擁有沙特衛星電視頻道阿拉伯衛星電視臺(Al Arabiya)的中東廣播中心(Middle East Broadcasting Center)的創始人瓦利德?阿爾-易卜拉欣(Waleed al-Ibrahim)，以及沙特本拉登(Saudi Binladin)建築集團的董事長貝克爾?本?拉登(Bakr bin Laden)。Some of the suspects, many of whom have been detained at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh since last week, are keen to secure their release by signing over cash and corporate assets, say people close to the negotiations.
許多嫌疑人自上週以來一直被關押在利雅得的麗思卡爾頓(Ritz-Carlton)酒店。據熟悉談判情況的人士透露，部分嫌疑人非常願意上交現金和企業資產，以獲得釋放。
“They are making settlements with most of those in the Ritz,” said one adviser. “Cough up the cash and you will go home.”
一位顧問表示：“他們正與羈押在麗思卡爾頓酒店裏的多數人達成和解。吐出現金，你就可以回家。”The settlements aim to recover billions of dollars allegedly accrued through corruption at a time when the government is grappling with a recession triggered by prolonged low oil prices and a budget deficit of $79bn last year.
這些和解力求收回據稱的鉅額腐敗所得。目前沙特政府正艱難應對長期低油價引發的經濟衰退，以及去年790億美元的預算赤字。The attorney-general has said he is investigating allegations of corruption amounting to at least $100bn. People briefed on the negotiations say the government wants to take back at least that figure, though the target may rise to as much as $300bn.
沙特總檢察長表示，他正在調查的腐敗指控累計金額至少達到1000億美元。聽取了談判情況通報的人士表示，沙特政府希望至少收回這一數額，儘管目標可能上升至3000億美元。More arrests are likely as the government widens its graft probe, one of the people said.
其中一人表示，隨着政府擴大反腐調查，可能會有更多人被捕。
