Ghaith Rashad Pharaon, (born September 7, 1940 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, or by varying accounts, Jeddah or Onaira) is a prominent Saudi businessman and financier.
[edit] Background Pharaon was a key player in the global oil and banking industries in the 1970s and 1980s (and at one time, the No. 2 Saudi investor in the United States, after rival Adnan Khashoggi), and is currently still active and a prominent player in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Algeria, Jordan, and elsewhere. [edit] Notable affiliations [edit] Business associates - Roger Tamraz
- Adnan Khashoggi, rival and occasional business partner.
- Talat M. Othman, co-investor in Harken Energy.
- Saudi financier Khaled bin Mahfouz; close friend and confidant
- Sheikh Kamal Adham, BCCI principal, head of Saudi intelligence
- Sheikh Abdul Raouf Khalil
- Sheikh Abdullah Taha Bakhsh
- Faisal Saud Al Fulaij, via BCCI.
- Nazir Chinoy, BCCI.
- Agha Hasan Abedi and Swaleh Naqvi, BCCI co-founders.
- Amer Lodhi, lawyer; worked for BCCI and for Pharaon.
- Gonzalez Fraga, economist hired by Pharaon to manage debt equity swaps for BCCI in Argentina.
- Abbas Gokal, and other members of the Gokal Family of Pakistan.
- P. S. Prasad, BCCI's largest individual borrower in the US at the time of its collapse; fled to India in 1991.
- Bert Lance, Clark Clifford, Robert Altman, James R. Bath, via BCCI.
- Sergio da Costa, former Brazilian ambassador to the US; BCCI front man in Brazil and consultant for Kissinger Associates.
- Michael Ameen, Houston-based oil consultant, associated with Mobil, Aramco, Harken. Early acquaintance of Pharaon and long-term friend of Bakhsh.
- David Paul, via CenTrust.
- John Connally, co-investor with Mahfouz and Bath in the Main Bank of Houston.
[edit] Family members - Dr. Rashad Pharaon, father. The Syrian-born Rashad came to Saudi Arabia, where he became chief physician to King Abdul Aziz, and later a political advisor to kings Faisal and Khalid.
- Mazen Rashad Pharaon, brother, involved in the BCCI scandal.
- Waleed Pharaon
- Wabel Pharaon, brother, also involved in the BCCI scandal, notorious womanizer with known mistresses in Paris and London.
[edit] Banking affiliations [edit] Oil industry [edit] Minor holding / shell companies - Interedec Inc, Savannah-based holding company, established 1983 (along with sister companies in the Netherlands Antilles and in the Bahamas).
- GRP Inc, another Georgia-based holding company, established 1981.
[edit] Conglomerates [edit] Real estate [edit] Notable past holdings - The Hyatt Hotel in Riyadh was one of Pharaon's earlier projects, and helped launch his career. It later became known in the West as the U.S. Military's base of operations in the Persian Gulf War.
- Pharaon also owned the former Henry Ford II estate outside of Savannah, GA.
[edit] Current holdings - The 5-star Janna Spa & Resort, outside Madaba, Jordan (about an hour south of Amman); recently given a gushing review by the New York Times. (Janna means "paradise" in Arabic).
- The 60 meter superyacht Le Pharaon, launched in 1989 by Feadship Royal Van Lent and lengthened in 2003 during a refit at Peters Schiffbau GmbH.
[edit] Education Pharaon is said to have obtained his early education in Lebanon, Syria, and Saudi Arabia. Later studied at the Colorado School of Mines, Stanford University and Harvard Business School. He insists on being addressed by the title "Dr Pharaon." [edit] Current activities Pharaon's currently works with the Attock and Pharaon Groups and maintains his interest in the Janna Spa & Resort. [edit] Hobbies The extremely wealthy and camera-shy Pharaon is known to be quite fond of cigars, and in recent years has taken a keen interest in speedboat racing. [edit] References - ^ National Refinery Limited
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