Saudi Arabian billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, a top international businessman from the kingdom, said on Sunday that an official investigation into the death of journalist <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/khashoggi-was-dead-in-twenty-minutes-says-tura-khislakchi-as-he-unfolds-the-incident-to-wion-173771">Jamal Khashoggi</a> will exonerate the country's leader.

On the Fox News program "Sunday Morning Futures," he asked Saudi Arabia to make public as soon as possible the results of the investigation.

Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist critical of the Saudi government and its de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in early October.

Prince Alwaleed told Fox News that an official Saudi investigation would show that the crown prince was not involved in Kashoggi's killing.

"Please let's give some time for the investigation to finish," he said. "I ask Saudi Arabia now publicly, through your program, to have the investigation made public as soon as possible so whereby I believe the Saudi Crown Prince will be 100 percent vindicated and exonerated."

Saudi Arabian billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, a top international businessman from the kingdom, said on Sunday that an official investigation into the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi will exonerate the country's leader.

Saudi Arabian billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, a top international businessman from the kingdom, said on Sunday that an official investigation into the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi will exonerate the country's leader. On the Fox News program "Sunday Morning Futures," he asked Saudi Arabia to make public as soon as possible the results of the investigation. Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist critical of the Saudi government and its de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in early October. Prince Alwaleed told Fox News that an official Saudi investigation would show that the crown prince was not involved in Kashoggi's killing. "Please let's give some time for the investigation to finish," he said. "I ask Saudi Arabia now publicly, through your program, to have the investigation made public as soon as possible so whereby I believe the Saudi Crown Prince will be 100 percent vindicated and exonerated."

Saudi prince: Probe into Khashoggi killing will exonerate Crown Prince Salman

Saudi authorities detained a billionaire global investor and the head of the National Guard as part of an anti-corruption purge that consolidates Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman&#39;s hold on power.

Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who owns investment firm Kingdom Holding, was among 11 princes, four ministers and tens of former ministers detained, two senior Saudi officials told Reuters on Sunday.

A top security official, Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, was detained and replaced as minister of the powerful National Guard by Prince Khaled bin Ayyaf. This consolidates Prince Mohammed&#39;s bin Salman&#39;s control of security institutions which had previously been headed by separate branches of the ruling family.

News of the purge came in the early hours of Sunday after King Salman decreed the creation of an anti-corruption committee chaired by his 32-year-old son Prince Mohammed, who has amassed power since rising from obscurity less than three years ago.

The new body was given broad powers to investigate cases, issue arrest warrants, and travel restrictions and freeze assets.

&quot;The homeland will not exist unless corruption is uprooted and the corrupt are held accountable,&quot; the royal decree said.

Analysts said the goal of the purge went beyond corruption and aimed to remove potential opposition to Prince Mohammed as he pushes an ambitious and controversial reform agenda.

In September he announced that a ban on women driving would be lifted and he is trying to break decades of conservative tradition by promoting public entertainment and visits by foreign tourists.

In economic policy, he has slashed state spending in some areas and plans a big sale of state assets.

&quot;The most recent crackdown breaks with the tradition of consensus within the ruling family whose secretive inner workings are equivalent to those of the Kremlin at the time of the Soviet Union,&quot; wrote James Dorsey, a senior fellow at Singapore&#39;s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

&quot;Prince Mohammed, rather than forging alliances, is extending his iron grip to the ruling family, the military, and the National Guard to counter what appears to be more widespread opposition within the family as well as the military to his reforms and the Yemen war,&quot; Dorsey said.

An economist at a big Gulf bank, who declined to be named because of political sensitivities, said nobody in Saudi Arabia believed corruption was at the root of the purge.

&quot;It&#39;s about consolidating power and frustration that reforms haven&#39;t been happening fast enough,&quot; the economist said.

ALARM BELLS

The round-up sets alarm bells ringing across the region and beyond. It also recalls the palace coup in June through which Mohammad bin Salman ousted his elder cousin, Mohammad bin Nayef, as heir to the throne and interior minister.

MbS, as he is known, was widely expected to follow through by, at the least, removing Prince Miteb bin Abdallah from leadership of the National Guard, a pivotal power-base rooted in the kingdom&#39;s tribes.

Other detainees include former finance minister Ibrahim al-Assaf, a board member of national oil giant Saudi Aramco; economy minister Adel Fakieh, who once played a major role in drafting reforms; former Riyadh governor Prince Turki bin Abdullah and Khalid al-Tuwaijiri, who headed the Royal Court under the late King Abdullah.

Prince Alwaleed is one of Saudi Arabia&#39;s best-known international businessmen as an investor in firms such as Citigroup and Twitter.

Bakr bin Laden, chairman of the big Saudi Binladin construction group, and Alwaleed al-Ibrahim, owner of the MBC television network, were also detained.

Some detainees were believed to be held at the opulent Ritz-Carlton hotel in the diplomatic quarter of Riyadh, sources in contact with the government told Reuters. The hotel and an adjacent facility were the site of an international conference promoting Saudi Arabia as an investment destination last month.

The detentions followed a crackdown in September on political opponents of Saudi Arabia&#39;s rulers that saw some 30 clerics, intellectuals and activists detained.

Prince Alwaleed, a flamboyant character, has sometimes used his prominence as an investor to aim barbs at the kingdom&#39;s rulers.

In December 2015, Prince Alwaleed called U.S. President Donald Trump, who was then a candidate, a &quot;disgrace to all America&quot; and demanded on his Twitter account that he withdraw from the election.

Trump responded by tweeting: &quot;Dopey Prince @Alwaleed_Talal wants to control our U.S. politicians with daddy&rsquo;s money. Can&#39;t do it when I get elected.&quot;

In November 2016 Prince Alwaleed put aside the clash with Trump and embraced him as the U.S. president-elect, saying he was heartened by reports that Trump had appeared to delete online references to his proposed ban on Muslims.

Saudi authorities detained a billionaire global investor and the head of the National Guard as part of an anti-corruption purge that consolidates Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's hold on power.

Saudi authorities detained a billionaire global investor and the head of the National Guard as part of an anti-corruption purge that consolidates Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's hold on power. Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who owns investment firm Kingdom Holding, was among 11 princes, four ministers and tens of former ministers detained, two senior Saudi officials told Reuters on Sunday. A top security official, Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, was detained and replaced as minister of the powerful National Guard by Prince Khaled bin Ayyaf. This consolidates Prince Mohammed's bin Salman's control of security institutions which had previously been headed by separate branches of the ruling family. News of the purge came in the early hours of Sunday after King Salman decreed the creation of an anti-corruption committee chaired by his 32-year-old son Prince Mohammed, who has amassed power since rising from obscurity less than three years ago. The new body was given broad powers to investigate cases, issue arrest warrants, and travel restrictions and freeze assets. "The homeland will not exist unless corruption is uprooted and the corrupt are held accountable," the royal decree said. Analysts said the goal of the purge went beyond corruption and aimed to remove potential opposition to Prince Mohammed as he pushes an ambitious and controversial reform agenda. In September he announced that a ban on women driving would be lifted and he is trying to break decades of conservative tradition by promoting public entertainment and visits by foreign tourists. In economic policy, he has slashed state spending in some areas and plans a big sale of state assets. "The most recent crackdown breaks with the tradition of consensus within the ruling family whose secretive inner workings are equivalent to those of the Kremlin at the time of the Soviet Union," wrote James Dorsey, a senior fellow at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. "Prince Mohammed, rather than forging alliances, is extending his iron grip to the ruling family, the military, and the National Guard to counter what appears to be more widespread opposition within the family as well as the military to his reforms and the Yemen war," Dorsey said. An economist at a big Gulf bank, who declined to be named because of political sensitivities, said nobody in Saudi Arabia believed corruption was at the root of the purge. "It's about consolidating power and frustration that reforms haven't been happening fast enough," the economist said. ALARM BELLS The round-up sets alarm bells ringing across the region and beyond. It also recalls the palace coup in June through which Mohammad bin Salman ousted his elder cousin, Mohammad bin Nayef, as heir to the throne and interior minister. MbS, as he is known, was widely expected to follow through by, at the least, removing Prince Miteb bin Abdallah from leadership of the National Guard, a pivotal power-base rooted in the kingdom's tribes. Other detainees include former finance minister Ibrahim al-Assaf, a board member of national oil giant Saudi Aramco; economy minister Adel Fakieh, who once played a major role in drafting reforms; former Riyadh governor Prince Turki bin Abdullah and Khalid al-Tuwaijiri, who headed the Royal Court under the late King Abdullah. Prince Alwaleed is one of Saudi Arabia's best-known international businessmen as an investor in firms such as Citigroup and Twitter. Bakr bin Laden, chairman of the big Saudi Binladin construction group, and Alwaleed al-Ibrahim, owner of the MBC television network, were also detained. Some detainees were believed to be held at the opulent Ritz-Carlton hotel in the diplomatic quarter of Riyadh, sources in contact with the government told Reuters. The hotel and an adjacent facility were the site of an international conference promoting Saudi Arabia as an investment destination last month. The detentions followed a crackdown in September on political opponents of Saudi Arabia's rulers that saw some 30 clerics, intellectuals and activists detained. Prince Alwaleed, a flamboyant character, has sometimes used his prominence as an investor to aim barbs at the kingdom's rulers. In December 2015, Prince Alwaleed called U.S. President Donald Trump, who was then a candidate, a "disgrace to all America" and demanded on his Twitter account that he withdraw from the election. Trump responded by tweeting: "Dopey Prince @Alwaleed_Talal wants to control our U.S. politicians with daddy’s money. Can't do it when I get elected." In November 2016 Prince Alwaleed put aside the clash with Trump and embraced him as the U.S. president-elect, saying he was heartened by reports that Trump had appeared to delete online references to his proposed ban on Muslims.

Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed detained in corruption inquiry

Billionaire Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who owns investment firm Kingdom Holding, expressed skepticism about cryptocurrencies in an interview with CNBC on Monday, warning that bitcoin was like &quot;Enron in the making&quot;.

Prince Alwaleed, whose company invests in major US&nbsp;companies such as Citigroup and Twitter, said a lack of regulation made such cryptocurrencies risky.

&quot;I just don&#39;t believe in this bitcoin thing. I think it&#39;s going to implode one day. It&#39;s Enron in the making,&quot; he said, referring to the US energy company that filed for bankruptcy in 2001 after revelations of a widespread accounting fraud.

&quot;This thing does not make sense. It&#39;s unregulated. It&#39;s not under the control of the US&nbsp;Federal Reserve or any other central bank,&quot; he added.

Bitcoin is a virtual currency that has gained more than 500 per cent this year, more than any other tradable asset class.

Prince Alwaleed also said the valuation of electric car maker Tesla was &quot;too exuberant&quot; for him to invest.

&quot;I would rather not comment on that because maybe some people think the valuation is right, but it&#39;s not for me to enter [at] that price obviously. It&#39;s too exuberant for me right now.&quot;

He added that US&nbsp;ride services company Lyft had been better priced than rival Uber when his investment firm bought into it.

He said he was &quot;very happy&quot; with his investment in Citigroup and saw potential for the share price to rise above $100. It has been trading at around $73.

Safety Value +

Prince Alwaleed also said he was not considering merging AccorHotels and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, in which Kingdom Holding owns stakes.

On the initial public offering of Saudi Aramco, which its CEO reiterated would take place next year, Prince Alwaleed said the transaction would act as a &quot;safety valve&quot; for Saudi Arabia.

&quot;If you go 5 per cent, there&#39;s nothing that prohibits you from going another 5 per cent next year, and 5 per cent the third year and fourth year, and so forth, depending on the situation.&quot;

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said last year the country was considering listing about 5 per cent of Aramco in a deal that could raise $100 billion, if the company is valued at about $2 trillion as hoped.

CEO Nasser on Monday brushed off reports about China emerging as a frontrunner in a possible plan to delay the IPO and sell shares to sovereign funds.

&quot;I&#39;m not a member of the government but I read these reports, and I will not be surprised if China will be looking at this opportunity,&quot; Prince Alwaleed said.

&quot;China depends on oil and will depend on oil for a long time to come. And Saudi Arabia is an anchor exporter of oil to China.&quot;

'I just don't believe in this bitcoin thing. I think it's going to implode one day. It's Enron in the making,' he said, referring to the US energy company that filed for bankruptcy in 2001 after revelations of a widespread accounting fraud

Billionaire Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who owns investment firm Kingdom Holding, expressed skepticism about cryptocurrencies in an interview with CNBC on Monday, warning that bitcoin was like "Enron in the making". Prince Alwaleed, whose company invests in major US companies such as Citigroup and Twitter, said a lack of regulation made such cryptocurrencies risky. "I just don't believe in this bitcoin thing. I think it's going to implode one day. It's Enron in the making," he said, referring to the US energy company that filed for bankruptcy in 2001 after revelations of a widespread accounting fraud. "This thing does not make sense. It's unregulated. It's not under the control of the US Federal Reserve or any other central bank," he added. Bitcoin is a virtual currency that has gained more than 500 per cent this year, more than any other tradable asset class. Prince Alwaleed also said the valuation of electric car maker Tesla was "too exuberant" for him to invest. "I would rather not comment on that because maybe some people think the valuation is right, but it's not for me to enter [at] that price obviously. It's too exuberant for me right now." He added that US ride services company Lyft had been better priced than rival Uber when his investment firm bought into it. He said he was "very happy" with his investment in Citigroup and saw potential for the share price to rise above $100. It has been trading at around $73. Safety Value + Prince Alwaleed also said he was not considering merging AccorHotels and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, in which Kingdom Holding owns stakes. On the initial public offering of Saudi Aramco, which its CEO reiterated would take place next year, Prince Alwaleed said the transaction would act as a "safety valve" for Saudi Arabia. "If you go 5 per cent, there's nothing that prohibits you from going another 5 per cent next year, and 5 per cent the third year and fourth year, and so forth, depending on the situation." Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said last year the country was considering listing about 5 per cent of Aramco in a deal that could raise $100 billion, if the company is valued at about $2 trillion as hoped. CEO Nasser on Monday brushed off reports about China emerging as a frontrunner in a possible plan to delay the IPO and sell shares to sovereign funds. "I'm not a member of the government but I read these reports, and I will not be surprised if China will be looking at this opportunity," Prince Alwaleed said. "China depends on oil and will depend on oil for a long time to come. And Saudi Arabia is an anchor exporter of oil to China."

Bitcoin is 'Enron' in the making: Saudi Prince Talal