Saudis Raise Allowances for Some Royals After Purge

  • Increase comes after government ends free utilities for royals
  • Saudi government official says the report is not true

Mohammed bin Salman

Photographer: Fayez Nureldine/AFP via Getty Images

Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

Saudi Arabia increased its payments to some members of the royal family just as officials were wrapping up a controversial anti-corruption campaign that targeted some of the kingdom’s richest men and most prominent princes, according to three people with knowledge of the matter.

The most recent monthly stipend -- paid after the government had stopped covering electricity and water bills for royalty -- was raised by as much as 50 percent, two of the people said. A Saudi government official said the report was “absolutely not true.”