Saudi billionaires moving vast funds into European properties after royal purge

Lima Charlie Business | Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – A number of highly reliable sources indicate that the recently jailed Saudi billionaires are continuing to move vast sums into Western European bank accounts, and towards hard currency investments, chiefly investments in property.

According to a new report by Erudite Intelligence Group, produced with Lima Charlie News, ranking members of the Saudi Royal House have been moving vast amounts of funds into Europe to safeguard their individual financial resources as a result of the recent political turmoil in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). According to analyses, this in turn could have a negative effect on the stability of the European Union.

A total of nine (9) data points have verified the below information as legitimate.

Multiple privileged data points indicate that the political turmoil in the Kingdom will have far reaching consequences on the Western European property market in 2018. This comes in the wake of the increased political risk and volatility in the Middle East due to the recent power play by the new crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman.

On the night of November 4th, armed men from the Saudi Special Forces and Intelligence Directorate arrested over 200 people, along with 10 royal princes, including the richest man in the Middle East, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, in what has been deemed a “preemptive coup.” Despite having all of the indicators of an internal power play, Saudi authorities claimed it was the result of an anti-corruption probe.

A number of highly reliable sources and data point providers indicate that the jailed billionaires, the key one being Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, have been told by representatives from the royal house that the price for their freedom is a minimum of one (1) billion dollars. This price, along with the relative freedom still available to the jailed individuals, has caused a number of them to begin to redistribute their financial assets inside as well as outside of KSA. Sources inside the European Union banking committee indicate that the majority of funds are going towards Western European bank accounts, and towards hard currency investments, chiefly investments in property.

Privileged data points indicate that high end properties in London, primarily in the district of Kensington, will rise tremendously during the initial two (2) quarters of 2018.

Sources with knowledge on the matter, inside KSA, indicate that other targets for these investments are the capitals of Norway, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Netherlands, and France.

Erudite’s intelligence analysts and Lima Charlie News believe that this will cause a disruption in the already relatively fragile EU economy, causing further issues with housing affordability and the recovery of local financial opportunities. By late 2018, this surge and upshot in property values might also cause lasting damage to the targeted countries’ financial infrastructure as it might have a negative effect by creating an unsustainable property bubble.

The information was originally brought to Erudite Intelligence Group on DEC 5, but had only a limited number of data point verifications. It was not until DEC 7 that enough data points had been gathered to consider all information reliable.

John Sjoholm and Brian Jones, Lima Charlie News

John Sjoholm is Lima Charlie’s Middle East Bureau Chief, managing editor, and founder of the consulting firm Erudite Group. A seasoned expert on Middle East and North Africa matters, he has a background in security contracting and has served as a geopolitical advisor to regional leaders. He was educated in religion and languages in Sana’a, Yemen, and Cairo, Egypt, and has lived in the region since 2005, contributing to numerous Western-supported stabilisation projects. He currently resides in Jordan. Follow John on Twitter @JohnSjoholmLC

Brian Jones is an entrepreneur, writer, tactical and wilderness skills instructor, and personal security consultant who has worked in many regions of the world. He has trained and worked with many agencies, including the Boston, Massachusetts Police Department, and the US Army Mountain Warfare School. He currently heads a small boutique security firm that consults for select celebrity and executive clients.

Lima Charlie World provides global news, featuring insight & analysis by military veterans, intelligence professionals and foreign policy experts Worldwide.

For up-to-date news, please follow us on twitter at @LimaCharlieNews

In case you missed it: