JEDDAH: A controversy over a Saudi billionaire’s unpaid utility bill has seen Twitter light up — with the matter becoming a trending topic in the Kingdom.
A Saudi court published a ruling against Prince Alwaleed bin Talal in a local newspaper, which sparked much debate among his followers.
The controversy revolves around Prince Alwaleed’s apparent failure to pay a utility bill issued by the court, which the Riyadh governorate informed Alwaleed. Penalties for non-payment could include a utility shut down and a travel ban.
Prince Alwaleed considered the Saudi court’s action an unacceptable defamation, pointing out that he had merely disputed the amount of the bill, rather than rejected payment.
Prince Alwaleed said in a letter to Riyadh Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar, which has been published through his official Twitter account, that he emphasizes his full respect and commitment to the Saudi justice system.
He expressed his resentment at the court’s decision to defame him in Saudi newspapers after allegedly failing to approach him.
“How can the court ask the (Riyadh Governorate) to inform me of their decision and hand me a copy and then they publish it in newspapers claiming they cannot inform me, which constitutes an unacceptable violation of the system and a clear offense to the (Riyadh Governorate) and to us?” Prince Alwaleed said in his letter to the governor.
He stressed that he had already issued a check for the said amount and it is ready to be delivered, pointing out that he will not give up his right, guaranteed by the system, to contest the judgment.
The Saudi billionaire’s response to the court ruling has been circulating on the social networking site Twitter under the hashtag “Alwaleed is threatened with utility shutdown.”
The hashtag was trending in Saudi Arabia and became one of the most interactive threads in the Kingdom.
Muhammed Al-Nafeesah (@m_nafeesah) tweeted: “Such a successful media management to contain a media crisis that defamed HRH Prince Alwaleed bin Talal... the system violators must be held accountable.”
Abu Hamad Al-Amer (@WlhowvudpX8eDl2) said that the court’s procedure was regular and nothing was wrong with it.
Another Twitter user Bu Muhammad (@M2014___9), a legal counsel, commented on Alwaleed’s tweet saying that it is the Riyadh Governorate’s fault, not the court’s.
“The (Riyadh Governorate) has been notified right after the court issued the verdict and they informed your highness a month and seven days later, where the payment period has passed/expired based on Article 34,” Bu Muhammad wrote.
But Bu Muhammad found it surprising that the prince does not have a lawyer or an office to follow up on the financial, administrative and judicial matters. “You could have paid the bill and then challenge/contest the verdict/ruling, especially that you have the money,” he wrote.
Alwaleed’s unpaid utility bill electrifies Twitter
Alwaleed’s unpaid utility bill electrifies Twitter
Israeli court overturns conviction of officer who assaulted Palestinian journalist, citing ‘Oct. 7 PTSD’
- Judge sentenced Yitzhak Sofer to 300 hours of community service, saying officer “devoted his life to Israel’s security” and conviction was “disproportionate to severity of his actions”
- Footage shows Sofer throwing photojournalist Mustafa Alkharouf to the ground, and repeatedly beating and kicking him while he covered Palestinian gatherings near Al-Aqsa Mosque
LONDON: An Israeli court overturned the conviction of a border police officer who assaulted a Palestinian journalist, ruling his actions were influenced by post-traumatic stress disorder from serving during the Oct. 7 2023 attacks.
On Tuesday, the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court sentenced officer Yitzhak Sofer to 300 hours of community service for assaulting Anadolu Agency photojournalist Mustafa Alkharouf in occupied East Jerusalem in December 2023.
Footage shows Sofer and other officers drawing weapons, throwing Alkharouf to the ground, and repeatedly beating and kicking him while he covered Palestinian gatherings near Al-Aqsa Mosque amid heavy restrictions.
Alkharouf was hospitalized with facial and body injuries. His cameraman, Faiz Abu Ramila, was also attacked.
Anadolu photojournalist Mustafa Alkharouf violently attacked by Israeli army in occupied East Jerusalem while covering Palestinian prayers near Al-Aqsa Mosque
— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) December 15, 2023
Incident highlights ongoing restrictions on Friday prayers and press freedom in region https://t.co/exT6XqjEaA pic.twitter.com/pqugK9HnOt
Sofer had been convicted in September 2024 of assault causing bodily harm (acquitted of threats) and initially faced six months’ community service, as recommended by Mahash, the Justice Ministry’s police misconduct unit.
Judge Amir Shaked accepted the defense request to cancel the conviction, replacing it with community service.
He cited Sofer’s PTSD from responding to the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack, noting the officer had “no prior criminal record” and had “devoted his life to Israel’s security.”
“The court cannot ignore this when considering whether the defendant’s conviction should stand,” he said, adding that while the incident is “serious and does cross the criminal threshold,” the conviction in place could cause Sofer harm “disproportionate to the severity of his actions.”
The ruling comes amid surging attacks on journalists in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza since Israel’s war on Gaza began.
The Committee to Protect Journalists reported Israel responsible for two-thirds of the 129 media workers killed worldwide in 2025, the deadliest year on record, citing a “persistent culture of impunity” and lack of transparent probes.
Reporters Without Borders called the Israeli army the “worst enemy of journalists” in its 2025 report, with nearly half of global reporter deaths in Gaza.
Foreign journalists face raids, arrests and intimidation. In late January 2026, Israel’s Supreme Court granted a delay on ruling a ban on foreign media access to Gaza.
