Amman Today

publish date 2026-02-06 21:00:00

Documents published by the US Department of Justice revealed that an anonymous reporter asked Jeffrey Epstein, convicted of sexual harassment and trafficking of minors, to monitor the political unrest that occurred in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2017 in the midst of the inauguration of Mohammed bin Salman as crown prince.

The campaign then targeted members of the royal family and financial elites, some of whom were forced to pay billions of dollars after spending several days in a “golden prison” at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh. The list included prominent figures such as billionaire Alwaleed bin Talal and lesser-known members of the royal family.

Read alsoEverything you need to know about the Jeffrey Epstein case

While those who did not pay the money were transferred to prisons, some of them were even subjected to repeated beatings, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Eight months before these events, according to the Middle East Eye website, Jeffrey Epstein was referring to his relations with the Crown Prince in an attempt to strengthen his ties with Saudi officials, which allowed him to reach the highest levels of the Saudi government and organize meetings between international figures and Gulf leaders, according to the same website.

Follow up on economic reforms in Saudi Arabia

The documents revealed a relationship between Epstein and an elite from the Gulf region, as well as the role he played in pursuing social and economic reforms in the Kingdom, such as allowing women to drive cars, which he considered the result of Western pressure rather than an internal movement.

The same documents showed the relationship that Epstein had with a New York Times journalist named Thomas Landon and the letters that the two men exchanged about the ruling family in Saudi Arabia.

In a letter dated October 17, 2016, the journalist asked Epstein for an analysis of the impact of low oil prices on the Saudi royal family.

Epstein responded, saying: “In politics, the United States used to mean the White House. Now there is the Pentagon, the CIA, the State Department, and Congress, and each one feels able to act more independently… It is the same with the royal family, there are 20,000 members in a tribe called the royal family.”

Read alsoAgainst the backdrop of the Epstein case: The French Foreign Ministry summons the head of the Arab World Institute amid calls for his resignation

Regarding allowing women to drive, Epstein wrote to Landon on October 18, 2016, “It was the Americans who demanded that women be allowed to drive, not the Saudis.”

France 24

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World News

Source 1 : https://www.france24.com/ar/الشرق-الأوسط/20260206-وزارة-العدل-الأمريكية-جيفري-إبستين-السعودية-محمد-بن-سلمان-الخليج

Source 2 : ألدستور