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Saudi princess gets passport back

ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 22 (UPI) -- An Orlando judge on Friday temporarily returned the passport of a Saudi Arabian princess arrested in December for allegedly beating her live-in maid.

Princess Buniah al-Saud, niece of King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, promised Circuit Judge Richard Conrad she would return to stand trial.

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The 41-year-old princess has been studying English at the University of Central Florida. She has been free on $2,500 bond while awaiting an as-yet-unknown court date on charges of aggravated battery for the alleged attack on Ismiyati Mermet Suryono, 36, of Indonesia.

Formal charges were filed last week. Additional charges of grand theft and dealing in stolen property have been dropped. If convicted, she faces a maximum of 15 years in prison.

Al-Saud had requested the passport return so she could return home for Muslim religious holidays. In court Friday, al-Saud was wearing dark glasses and an abaya when she said she would return to face the charges.

"First of all, I have my family," she said. "I must clear their name, my name. And also I have so many friends here. They are American. They are like my family, and they believe in me. I must come back here."

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"I trust that you will be a person of your word," Conrad said in granting the request. "I rely on you and your word and your family. The royal family's reputation is on the line."

Al-Saud was wearing Western clothing when she was arrested Dec. 17 at the Grand Cypress Resort near Disney World and taken to the Orange County jail, where she was held overnight. When she made her first appearance the next day, she wore a blue jumpsuit like that issued to all prisoners.

At the time of her arrest, al-Saud claimed to have diplomatic immunity based on her royal birth. When Orange County deputies contacted the Saudi Embassy to verify her status, the embassy confirmed her immunity, but the Immigration and Naturalization Service said she had no immunity because she had failed to file the proper travel documents.

The princess's departure date for Saudi Arabia is unknown. She earlier settled a civil suit filed by Suryono for alleged withholding of wages. The amount was not disclosed.

Saudi Arabia does not have an extradition treaty with the United States.

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