Saudi crown prince uses $126bn investment to pressure UK over dissident’s case

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman personally pressured former UK Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary, David Cameron, to intervene in a legal case involving a Saudi dissident in London, threatening implications for £100 billion ($126 billion) worth of Saudi investments in Britain, according to government documents obtained by the Guardian.

The crown prince, known popularly as MBS, raised the case of Ghanem Al-Masarir, a prominent critic of the Saudi royal family living under UK asylum protection, during talks with Cameron at the World Economic Forum in Riyadh in April. The lobbying effort followed earlier warnings from senior Saudi ministers about the kingdom’s substantial UK investments.

Al-Masarir is pursuing legal action against the Saudi government over allegations they ordered the hacking of his phone and orchestrated his physical assault in London in 2018. Researchers at the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab, renowned experts in tracking digital surveillance, have confirmed his phone was targeted by a network likely connected to Saudi Arabia.

“It is shocking and unacceptable that [the crown prince] believes he can manipulate the UK government to intervene in my legal case,” Al-Masarir told the Guardian. He accused the crown prince of attempting to “strong-arm the UK into undermining its legal system” by weaponising Saudi wealth.

The case has faced multiple legal challenges. Saudi Arabia initially claimed state immunity, but the High Court ruled in 2022 that the case could proceed after the kingdom failed to pay £210,000 ($265,000) as security for Al-Masarir’s costs. In January this year, the Court of Appeal rejected another attempt by Saudi lawyers to prevent the case from moving forward.

The documents reveal that Saudi officials, including the deputy foreign minister and national security adviser, repeatedly raised concerns about the implications of the case for sovereign immunity and state assets. These interventions coincided with broader discussions about the seizure of Russian assets to support Ukraine, an issue that Saudi ministers have repeatedly questioned.

This latest revelation follows a pattern of the Saudi crown prince attempting to use sovereign immunity to avoid legal accountability. In a similar case two years ago, a US judge dismissed a lawsuit over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi after the Biden administration recommended granting Prince Mohammed immunity.

The British government has not confirmed whether it is considering intervening in Al-Masarir’s case. The situation poses a particular challenge for the current government’s chief legal officer, Richard Hermer KC, who previously served as Al-Masarir’s lead barrister in his High Court claim before joining Keir Starmer’s government as attorney general.

The crown prince’s attempt to influence Britain’s legal system through financial pressure raises serious concerns about growing leverage of foreign states over UK domestic affairs. Saudi Arabia’s investment portfolio in Britain represents just one example of how wealthy autocratic regimes can potentially compromise democratic institutions and the rule of law.

Critics argue that Britain’s increasing dependence on foreign investment, particularly from states with poor human rights records, threatens to undermine fundamental democratic principles. The Saudi crown prince’s direct lobbying of senior British officials over a court case highlights the thin line between economic partnership and undue influence.

Legal experts warn that allowing foreign governments to interfere with judicial proceedings sets a dangerous precedent. If wealthy states can use investment threats to influence legal outcomes, it effectively creates a two-tier justice system where the rule of law applies differently to those with financial leverage.

The case also exposes broader questions about Britain’s post-Brexit economic strategy, which has prioritised trade deals and investment from non-European partners. While such investments bring economic benefits, they potentially come at the cost of compromising the independence of British institutions.

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