Alwaleed bin Talal pledges support for Saudi crown prince's vision 2030

RIYADH: Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who was detained for three months in an anti-corruption campaign, on Thursday pledged his support on for the  Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s programme of sweeping reforms.

Alwaleed bin Talal, founder of Kingdom Holding, a Riyadh-based conglomerate that has investments in hotels and real estate, posted a photo of him with the crown prince on his Twitter handle and said: "I was honoured to meet with my brother HRH the Crown Prince and to discuss economic matters and the private sector's future & role in #Vision2030 success, adding ; "I shall be one of the biggest supporters of the Vision through @Kingdom_KHC & all its affiliates."

It was the first publicly disclosed meeting between the two men since the anti-corruption crackdown was launched in November.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and  Prince Alwaleed bin Talal held a comprehensive discussion  on the private sector's future and the  vision 2030.

Prince Alwaleed, the kingdom’s most recognised business figure, was freed in January after being held at Riyadh’s Ritz-Carlton Hotel along with scores of royals, senior officials and businessmen, most of whom reached financial settlements with the authorities.

Vision 2030 is Saudi Prince’s scheme to wean the world’s top crude exporter off oil revenues and open up Saudis’ cloistered lifestyles.