FRANCE: Saudi princess dragged to court over assault on labourer

Hassa bint Salman, seen by many analysts as the de-facto leader of the oil-rich Gulf kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been dragged to a French court.

She was docked, after her bodyguard allegedly beat a labourer doing repairs on her luxury Paris apartment.

The princess who is a sister of Saudi Arabia’s powerful crown prince went on trial on Tuesday after she was accused of ordering her bodyguard to beat up a worker who took a photo inside her luxury room.

She stands accused in absentia for ordering her bodyguard, who is also charged, to beat up Ashraf Eid after he was seen taking a photo inside her home in September 2016.

Read also: Trump hits back, as UK top envoy calls his White House ‘inept’

Eid had told French investigators he needed the pictures taken with his phone to carry out the work while the princess, who denies the allegations and was not present in court, suspected Eid of planning to sell the photo of her apartment on the Avenue Foch, a favourite destination for foreign millionaires in western Paris.

Eid, who was also not present in court, has said he was tied up and ordered to kiss the feet of the princess – who is believed to be in her 40s and is idolized in Saudi state-run media for charity work.

The repairman said he was then beaten up and had his tools confiscated during an ordeal that lasted several hours.

 

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now