Washington, Mar 19: Post his anti-graft witch hunt against the bunch of most richest individuals in Saudi Arabia, including members of the Royal Family, critics have levelled allegations of hypocrisy against Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman known for his extravagant lifestyle. Defending the charge, the apparent heir to the throne said he is "not a Gandhi or Mandela" who would give up his wealth and lead a simple life.

"As far as my private expenses are concerned, I’m a rich person and not a poor person. I’m not Gandhi or Mandela," Salman said while interacting with reporters in Washington, where he is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump on Tuesday.

The Crown Prince's response came after reporters quizzed him over the $300 million French chateau, owned by him in western Paris. Salman was revealed as the owner of the 'world's most expensive home' in the New York Times report published in December.

Apart from being the heir to a slew of Royal Family properties collectively valuing above $100 billion, his own personal wealth is estimated to be around $3.5 billion. His father, the incumbent King of Saudi Arabia, Salman Bin Abdulaziz, reportedly owns personal wealth amounting to $18 billion.

Mohammed Bin Salman, who took over as the de-facto ruler of the Kingdom last year, has projected himself as an anti-corruption reformer.

As a reformer, the 32-year-old's tenure has been markes so far by the decision to lift ban on driving for women, loosening clothing restrictions, promising to increase their participation in the workforce and facilitating the growth of entertainment and service sector.

In the fight against graft launched late last year, Salman recovered illicitly acquired wealth of "$100 billion" from over three dozen royal princes who were detained on corruption charges. Among the detainees include, Prince Al-Waleed Bin Taleed, who was listed as the 45th richest individual on earth in the 2017 Forbes' report.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 19, 2018 05:15 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).