Saudi Crown Prince donates $26m to charity and releases 150 prisoners

Donations come during Ramadan, when Muslims dedicate more time and effort to charity and helping others

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made a huge charitable donation. SPA

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said on Thursday that he planned to donate more than $26 million to charity and will pay off the debts of 150 prisoners.

Prince Mohammed will give $23.2m to 29 charities and the remaining $3.5m will go to clearing the debts of prisoners so that they can be released and reunited with their families.

During Ramadan, Muslims around the world dedicate more time and effort to charity and helping others. It is customary to make sizeable donations, called zakat, to charity during this time.

The crown prince's donation is part of his SNAD Mohammed bin Salman Programme, launched in 2018.

This is to help charitable organisations that care for people with disabilities, cancer patients, widows, divorcees, orphans, people with Down syndrome and women in need.

The 150 prisoners to be released have not been found jailed on criminal charges.

SNAD was launched by Prince Mohammed to assist non-profit social initiatives that can empower men and women to give them social and economic stability.

The first project, SNAD Marriage, was dedicated to helping people who wanted to be married but could not afford to.

SNAD also includes the release of prisoners, the development of historic mosques and supporting social welfare initiatives.