MBS’ sister faces trial over attack on workman

Riyadh, June 13 (IANS) The sister of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will be put on trial in Paris in July for allegedly ordering her bodyguard to beat up a workman in the French capital, AFP news agency reported.

The case against Princess Hassa bint Salman, which stems from the alleged assault in her luxury apartment in September 2016, will be judged on July 9, France 24 reported, citing the news agency.

She is likely to be absent from the trial as she has not been apprehended despite an international arrest warrant issued in December 2017.

The victim said he was hired to refurbish Princess Hassa's apartment in an ultra-expensive part of the French capital. But she got angry after he took a photograph of the room where the work was to be done. She accused the man of wanting to sell the photo to the media, the report said.

According to the victim, the princess then ordered her bodyguard to beat him up, shouting: "Kill him, the dog, he doesn't deserve to live."

The workman said he was punched in the face, his hands were tied and he was forced to kiss the princess's feet during the ordeal. He was allowed to leave the apartment hours later but his tools were allegedly confiscated and he was off work for eight days.

The bodyguard was charged in October 2016 with armed violence, theft, issuing death threats and holding someone against their will.

Said to be in her 40s, Princess Hassa has been praised by the Saudi media for her work in charity and women's rights.

Princess Hassa's brother and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, one of the most powerful leaders in the Middle East, was also embroiled in a controversy following the murder of his fierce critic Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October last year.

The Saudis, after initially denying they knew anything of the journalist's disappearance, later acknowledged that Khashoggi was killed in a rogue operation that did not involve the Crown Prince.