French court finds Saudi princess complicit in violence against workman, gives jail term

A court in France has sentenced the daughter of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz to several months in prison after finding her complicit in violence with the threat of a weapon and complicit in abduction.

Prosecutors in Paris on Thursday handed down a 10-month suspended prison sentence to 43-year-old Hassa bint Salman, sister of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, after accusing her of ordering a bodyguard to beat up a plumber, Ashraf Eid, in her luxury flat in the French capital in September 2016.

Hassa, who was tried in absentia, was also ordered by the Paris court to pay a 10,000-euro fine. She had never shown up at the trial, which got underway in July, and has so far denied any wrongdoing.

PressTV-MBS’s sister to go on trial in France in assault case

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s sister will be tried at a criminal court in France for an assault on a workman in the capital, Paris, according to a legal source.

According to Eid, King Salman’s daughter told her bodyguard, Rani Saidi, to bind his hands, punched and kicked him and forced him to kiss the princess’ feet after she accused him of filming her on his cell phone.

Saidi was also sentenced to an eight-month suspended prison term and to pay a 5,000-euro fine.

Eid said he had only taken pictures of a damaged wash basin at the fifth floor of the luxury apartment block owned by the Saudi royals on Avenue Foch, claiming he needed the pictures to carry out his work of repairing the basin.

Hassa was infuriated after her reflection was caught in a mirror on camera and ordered her bodyguard to beat Eid, the plumber added.

In the past, the Saudi royalty has faced other legal problems in France. Back in 2013, a French court ordered assets of Saudi Princess Maha al-Sudairi, wife of the former interior minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz, to be seized, accusing her of not paying bills at a luxury hotel totaling almost six million euros.

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