The assets of Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan were temporarily frozen by a federal judge as a result of a lawsuit filed by the city retirement system of Harper Woods, a Detroit suburb of 14,000. Thus, Prince Bandar bin Sultan can not move its real estate sales from the United States.

The law suit also involves former directors of BAE Systems, a massive British defense company, of breaches of fiduciary duties. At least two billion dollars in illegal bribes were allegedly paid to the Saudi Prince in connection with an $86 billion BAE arms sale to Saudi Arabia in 1985. The law suit was filed in September 2007 by a small Michigan City retirement system. 

The former Riggs Bank of Washington and its successor, PNC Financial Group, are also among the defendants in the suit.

Defendants, Prince Bandar and BAE Systems former directors, have denied the charges that they received or given illegal payments.

U.S. District Judge Rosemary M. Collyer was the judge who issued the temporary restraining order on Feb. 5. She said that the suit by the City of Harper Woods Employees' Retirement System raises serious questions of law that necessitate a temporary order to prevent Bandar from taking the earnings of real estate sales out of U.S.-based accounts.