billion reorganization of SANG to develop its firepower and artillery. Okaz reported in May 2012 that Prince Mutaib had some future plans to establish a body in SANG having female soldiers. His appointment was commonly considered to reflect King Abdullah's emphasis that it was time to start giving the power to the next generation in a way that would reduce the risk of a power struggle within the Saudi royal family. His appointment was also regarded as a move to prepare him for assuming higher-level responsibility in the future. On 27 May 2013, Prince Mutaib was appointed minister of national guard, a post newly created. Arrest On 4 November 2017 Prince Mutaib was arrested and removed from his position as minister of the National Guard and replaced by Khalid bin Abdulaziz bin Mohammed bin Ayyaf Al Muqrin in the post. He was in Riyadh on that day and asked to meet with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. Prince Mutaib was accused of embezzlement, hiring ghost employees and awarding contracts to his own companies including a $10 billion deal for walkie talkies and bulletproof military gear worth billions of Saudi riyals. Prince Mutaib was released on 28 November 2017 after agreeing to pay authorities a sum, reported to be over $1 billion, or 6 billion Riyals, about 1,6 billion USD. According to one source from inside the Saudi opposition, the price for Prince Mutaib's release was $10 billion. Other positions Prince Mutaib was appointed as a cabinet member with the rank of minister of state in November 2010. He was a member of the Military Service Council. He was vice president of the Supreme Committee of the National Festival for Heritage and Culture and the head of the technical committee of the Equestrian Club as well as a member of the board of directors of King Abdulaziz Public Library. Business activities At the beginning of the 2000s, Prince Mutaib was the local representative for the Ford Motor Corporation in Saudi Arabia. In 2010 he bought Hotel de Crillon in Paris for $354 million. Influence In 1997, Paul Michael Wihbey correctly predicted that Crown Prince Abdullah would make his son, Prince Mutaib, the commander of SANG and that Mutaib would modernize SANG's capabilities in regard to counter-insurgency, information collection and tactical field operations. He also regarded Mutaib as a knowledgeable and highly competent commanding officer with strong professional ties to the U.S.