Riyadh – Saudi Arabian billionaire prince Alwaleed bin Talal on Tuesday said he was answering a government call to support local football clubs.
He was freed two weeks ago from detention in a luxury hotel during a corruption sweep.
Prince Alwaleed, who is one of the country’s top international investors, said he is showing the support by donating half a million dollars.
Alwaleed, who spent his nearly three months of detention in the Riyadh Ritz-Carlton hotel, was detained along with dozens of senior officials and businessmen.
This was part of a crackdown on the orders of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
In an interview conducted hours before his release, he told Reuters he maintained his innocence and expected to keep full control of his firm.
But when asked, he did not rule out making a donation to the government in return for his freedom.
A senior Saudi official later told Reuters he was freed after reaching a financial settlement with the attorney general, but neither party provided details.
Most detainees have been released, after settlements that the attorney general said secured more than $100 billion (£72 billion) from members of the elite.
Prince Alwaleed tweeted a photo of himself on Tuesday watching a football game with his family and said: “Answering my brother Turki Al-Sheikh’s invitation to support Saudi clubs …
“I present 2 million Saudi riyals (£384,007) to support Al Hilal FC.”
Al-Sheikh heads the government’s General Sports Authority and is seen as close to the crown prince.
Prince Alwaleed’s fortune was previously estimated by Forbes magazine at $17 billion.(