Saudi Arabia’s King Salman issued a royal decree on Tuesday to remove the commander in charge of allied forces fighting in Yemen and start a corruption probe, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said.
Lt.-Gen. Fahad bin Turki bin Abdulaziz, Commander of the Joint Forces in the Saudi-led war in Yemen against the Iranian-allied Houthi rebels, was retired and recommended for investigation,’’ SPA reported, citing the decree.
His son, Prince Abdulaziz bin Fahad bin Turki bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Governor of Al-Jouf Region, has also been relieved from his post and referred for investigation.
The decision was based on a referral from the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to conduct an investigation regarding “suspicious financial dealings monitored at the Ministry of Defence,’’ according to the decree.
The anti-corruption authority, Nazaha, disclosed “financial corruption” at the ministry linked to the father and son, the decree added.
It added that four other military officials were also placed under investigation.
It was unclear if those mentioned in the decree had already been detained.
“Nazaha shall complete the investigation procedures with all relevant military and civil officials, take the necessary legal measures against them and submit the outcomes,’’ the decree added.
Yemen has been in the grip of a power struggle between the Saudi-backed government and Iran-linked Houthi rebels since late 2014.
