Copyright The New York Times
Saad Aljabri was once a top Saudi official who knew the kingdom’s deepest secrets, handled billions of dollars for security projects, planned counterterrorism operations with global counterparts and had fans in the United States Congress. Now, he lives in self-imposed exile in Canada, locked in a bitter feud with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, who has accused him of corruption. Sakab Saudi Holding Company, a state-owned business, is suing him in Canada, alleging he embezzled more than $5 billion. The trial starts next year. Mr. Aljabri has asked a U.S. federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia for help fighting this latest battle. He wants the court to order former U.S. security officials to participate in his defense in Canada, which he says would help show that the money he is accused of embezzling went to legitimate purposes, like helping fund counterterrorism actions. This request dredges up Mr. Aljabri’s complicated history with the kingdom and comes at an awkward time for the Trump administration, which is relying on Saudi Arabia as a key ally in efforts to stabilize the Middle East. Prince Mohammed is expected in Washington this month. Mr. Aljabri was a top aide to the ruler’s onetime rival, former Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, and in that role had close ties to global security officials. He was fired in 2015 and left the country two years later, as Prince Mohammed bin Salman was consolidating power. Since then, he has accused the crown prince of trying to have him extradited, sending a hit squad to Canada in 2018 to kill him and trying to coerce him into returning home by detaining two of his adult children in 2020. Mr. Aljabri says the fraud accusations are cover for Prince Mohammed’s political attack, part of a wider campaign to silence critics, including the Washington Post writer Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed in Istanbul in 2018, a death that a 2021 U.S. intelligence report concluded the ruler had approved. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
