The Salameh Papers: Marwan Issa El-Khoury's letter to The National


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  • Arabic

Dear Ms. Maucourant Atallah,

At the outset, and in response to your question, I would like to emphasize that I have never been approached in any manner whatsoever by the German judiciary.

You state that you are relying on judicial documents you obtained. While the fact of obtaining judicial documents is, to say least, peculiar given that the documents of an ongoing investigation are covered by the secrecy of the investigation, I cannot comment on them since I have no sight of them.

This being said, while reading your questions it has become clear to me that they rely on serious factual mistakes and that it is paramount to set the record straight:

You state that I am “the manager” of BR 209 Invest S.A. This is wrong. I was neither “the” manager nor “a” manager of BR 209 Invest S.A. I was one of the four board members composing the board of directors. These are two very different capacities. What I am stating is public information, so are the company’s articles of association which confirm this fact.

You state that 94% of the shares of the company WBH 51 GmbH were purchased by the company called H-Invest GmbH for 3.9 million euros. Not only the stated purchase price of the shares is utterly wrong, but the description of the transaction surprisingly makes no reference to the leverage (debt) used in this transaction. In short, your description of the transaction is wholly inconsistent with its factual background.

Leaving aside that BR 209 Invest S.A. was a company governed by a board of directors, there was three layers of control exercised by external independent parties. At no point in time during more than 10 years any of these layers signaled the least issue in respect of the transactions you are referring to and, more generally, in respect of the company’s activities or funding. There have been no irregularities.

Finally, and more generally, I am a lawyer and it is not unusual for a lawyer to be requested to sit on a board of directors, especially when this is consistent with his background. In this regard, my academic background, as well as my professional achievements over 26 years with a variety of renowned clients, speak for themselves. This is also why I am surprised to see a question about a personal investment of mine of quite a limited size and amount, which other persons could decide to do. This type of investment is of no interest to the subject (irrespective of its limited size and amount) and, with all due respect, the question is simply astonishing.

The above shows that the factual background against which the questions are asked is incorrect. Conversely, my responses are based on facts which are documented, verifiable and contribute to set the record straight,

There are other factual mistakes that I note from your questions but it does not belong to me to respond to them.

I kindly ask you to publish my responses and comments integrally and without altering the intellectual sequence. It is important for me that they be published as they have been provided to you.

Best regards,

Marwan Issa El-Khoury

Islamophobia definition

A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.

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Libya's Gold

UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves. 

The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.

Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.

If you go

Flight connections to Ulaanbaatar are available through a variety of hubs, including Seoul and Beijing, with airlines including Mongolian Airlines and Korean Air. While some nationalities, such as Americans, don’t need a tourist visa for Mongolia, others, including UAE citizens, can obtain a visa on arrival, while others including UK citizens, need to obtain a visa in advance. Contact the Mongolian Embassy in the UAE for more information.

Nomadic Road offers expedition-style trips to Mongolia in January and August, and other destinations during most other months. Its nine-day August 2020 Mongolia trip will cost from $5,250 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, two nights’ hotel accommodation in Ulaanbaatar, vehicle rental, fuel, third party vehicle liability insurance, the services of a guide and support team, accommodation, food and entrance fees; nomadicroad.com

A fully guided three-day, two-night itinerary at Three Camel Lodge costs from $2,420 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, accommodation, meals and excursions including the Yol Valley and Flaming Cliffs. A return internal flight from Ulaanbaatar to Dalanzadgad costs $300 per person and the flight takes 90 minutes each way; threecamellodge.com

Updated: August 02, 2023, 8:39 AM