Saudi Arabia releases Palestinian tycoon Sabih al-Masri

By Mohammed Khabaisa

RAMALLAH

Saudi authorities on Sunday released Palestinian billionaire Sabih al-Masri, the chairman of Jordan’s largest lender Arab Bank, according to two family sources.

Al-Masri was detained in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for questioning after a business trip to the kingdom, but the sources said he was set free on Sunday.

It remains unclear whether he had left for Amman or was still in Riyadh.

Al-Masri, 80, holds the Saudi and Jordanian nationalities. He chairs several companies and institutions, most notably the Arab Bank Group.

His detention came one month after Saudi authorities rounded up several princes and businessmen in a major anti-corruption campaign in the oil-rich kingdom.