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Fahd bin Abdul Aziz
Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz
Naef Bin Abdul Aziz
Salman Bin Abdul Aziz
Ahmad Bin Abdul Aziz
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 RECENTLY DECEASED from an
overdose. Left Amman Jordan for 48 hours to Riyadh and never recovered
from an overdose of drugs. |
FAISAL BIN FAHD
Fifty-year-old Prince Faisal bin Fahd's official position in the Saudi
government is General President of Youth Welfare, a cabinet-level
position. In obedience to the King's directive, Faisal added his
contribution to the propaganda machine by publishing 42 books about the
history of Saudi Arabia, under the auspices of his office which is in
charge of cultural propaganda. In fact, Prince Faisal seems to be very
good at following his father's orders, so good that his father has
continually renewed his 1975 appointment as general president of youth
welfare.
Not all of the money that comes into the ministry is used for its
projects. As a reporter for "The Christian Science Monitor" put
it, Youth Welfare is "a division of government that Saudi bureaucrats
regard as a particularly lucrative source of graft." This ministry
builds expensively-priced sports stadiums and is in charge of all of the
sports clubs, including the hiring of professional soccer players.
Construction and dealing with sports agents provide notorious
opportunities for skimming money, taking bribes, and buying land to be
earmarked for sports-related construction and then reselling it at much
higher prices.
Youth Welfare is a euphemism for "Ministry of Cultural Propaganda and
Ideology." Thus, Faisal spends much of his time espousing the
government view of the Saudi Arabian image. Yet, his primary
responsibility is sports, especially soccer“
Prince Faisal has found a way to link sports and business. Every year,
British coaches fly to Saudi Arabia to train Saudis in the art of
coaching. This is not just a good will gesture. As Robert Hardman of
"The Daily Telegraph" put it, "Prince Faisal is not only
the man in charge of sport but is also the King's eldest son, which gives
him enormous influence. So, for 40,000 pounds, Britain has formed a useful
bond with a key member of a family which often doles out international
contracts worth billions of pounds." The coach-training program
operates under the auspices of The Saudi British Society which Faisal
co-chairs with Prince Charles.
Although not his father favorite -- that honor goes to his younger
brother, Abdul Aziz -- Faisal sticks close to his father and is entrusted
to represent his father in low-profile government business, like visiting
the Yemeni president in the hospital in 1995. Both Faisal and Abdul Aziz
were pictured next to their father's hospital bed in the first news tape
to be shown to the public after King Fahd's stroke in November 1995.
SHOW BUSINESS
Prince Faisal is not just a government official, he is also a business
man, although some of his investments have no market. He is reportedly
backing, through his alleged front company, the Saudi Muwarid business
group, the multi-channel Orbit subscription satellite service. A far cry
from cable TV, hookup cost $10,000 for the decoder plus monthly fees for
broadcasts of government propaganda newscasts, religious programs, old
Egyptian films and reruns of regular television shows. As it offers the
same programming as Saudi citizens get on their own television sets, why
would they bother to pay the exorbitant price to be hookup to satellite
programming? Unfortunately, since Saudi princes only spend government
money, they are already paying for Faisal's boondoggle. It is not for
nothing that these channels are called "vanity" stations --
"up in the sky for perceived governmental prestige or propaganda
purposes rather than any hope of capturing much" of an audience.
(Variety). Of course, it does not matter to Faisal whether any one watches
the channel.
ARMS AND THE PRINCE
Before being appointed to his cabinet level post, the University of Santa
Barbara graduate conducted business from the Al-Yamamah Hotel in Riyadh.
He was hardly ever there in person. Businessmen who wanted to contract
with him would gather in the lobby of the hotel and wait for him to call.
If he called, that meant he was willing to sign a contract.
His appointment did not stop him from continuing his business deals. In
1985 and 1986, Faisal worked closely with Adnan Khashoggi to sell arms to
Iran. Sam Bamieh, who was a friend of the royal family until he started
talking about the Saudi role in the Iran-Contra scandal, remembers two
telephone calls Khashoggi made in his presence.
The first was to Mohammed Al-Sulayman, chief of King Fahd's office.
Khashoggi had gone to the National Commercial Bank earlier that day to get
his money per the king's oral instructions. The bank would not give it to
him without written instructions, so he called Al-Sulayman to have him
provide them.
Then Khashoggi called his business partner in these arms deals, Prince
Faisal bin Fahd. He wanted the prince to remind his father to provide
written instructions, adding that the instructions were "for our
mutual benefit."
The next day, Khashoggi went to the bank and picked up between $30 and $35
million. According to Bamieh, "Fahd routed millions of dollars
through Khashoggi [and presumably Faisal since they were business partners
in this deal] to Israeli middlemen, who arranged for Israel to provide
much of the arms on behalf of the United States.
SOURCES
 | From Agence France Presse King Fahd appears on TV with crown
prince, January 25, 1996 Saudi rulers take team's measure, by Jim
Slater, June 28, 1994 |
| APS Diplmat Recorder Saudi Arabia - Jan. 25 - King Fahd
Appears On TV, January 27, 1996 |
| Asiaweek Hailaind; Jeweles and justice; Top policemen face
charges in long-running scandal, September 7, 1994 |
| Business Week The split-lever lives of the Arab tycoons;
"Super-Wealth" by Linda Blandford, Morrow, 319 pages, $10,
by Paul B. Finney, April 11, 1977 |
| Central News Agency Prince Faisal receive ROC painters
mission, December 22, 1987 Saudi Arabia's youth welfare president
receives ROC Amb. Kuan, March 17, 1987 Saudi Prince Fahd receives ROC
youth mission, December 4, 1986 Saudi and Bahraini nat'l soccer teams
to visit Taipei in Sept., July 14, 1986 Sino-Saudi cultural confab to
open March 15, March 11, 1986 Saudi official praises 4 ROC global
trotters, January 20, 1986 |
| Chicago Tribune The Saudis' soccer strut; royal ambassador
basks in sport's diplomatic boost, by James Warren, July 3, 1994 |
| The Christian Science Monitor Gulf ties with Moscow - meaning
for the US, by Shireen T. Hunter, November 8, 1985 To Saudis, King
Fahd falls short of ideal, by Justin Coe, February 13, 1985 |
| The Cincinnati Enquirer Dream's Team, July 4, 1994 |
| The Commercial Appeal (Memphis) Notebook by Our Press
Services, July 4, 1994 |
| COMPASS Newswire Saudis express concern for Yemeni
president's health, September 11, 1996 |
| The Daily Telegraph Thai shot dead in Saudi gems riddle, by
Philip Sherwell, September 9, 1994 Talking sport: Royal appointment
hold new meaning in desert football, by Robert Hardman, November 10,
1993 |
| Daily Variety Sats over Arab skies; but gov't cnotrol
temmpers Mideast viewer interest, by Peter Warg, August 8, 1994 |
| Deutsch Presse-Agentur The saga of the Saudi jewels; the
stuff that thrillers are made of, by Peer Meinert, January 5, 1995
royals flushed as Saudi soccer says mission accomplished, by Barry
Whelan, July 4, 1994 Saudi players celebrate with a free night out,
June 30, 1994 |
| The Economist Riddle of the Saudi gems, August 27, 1994
Soccer in the sand, February 8, 1988 |
| Financial Times Rise to prominence with modern-minded
outlook, by Michael Field, April 22, 1985 King Fahd appoints two sons,
by Michael Field, February 15, 1985 Saudis can't stand the strain, by
Michael Field, March 15, 1983 |
| The Independent Soccer tackles its final frontier; the
biggest sporting spectacle on earth kicks off tomorrow, Peter Pringle,
June 16, 1994 |
| International Heral Tribune The jewel scandal widens; theft
and murder inquiry reaches police higher-ups |
| The Irish Times People, April 19, 1995 |
| Japan Economic Newswire Prince Faisal visits Nakasone,
September 25, 1985 Emperor meets Saudi Arabian prince, September 24,
1985 |
| Moneyclips King Fahd arrives in Jeddah, February 8, 1996
Prince Faisal donates SR1m for Bosnians, February 3, 1996 SR150,000
from youth welfare for Bosnian Muslims, January 26, 1996 Art
exhibition at Inter-Con; Iraqi refugees vent feelings, by Mohammed
Rasooldeen, January 10, 1996 Iraqis at Rafha are our brothers: Prince
Faisal, by Mohammed Rasooldeen, January 9, 1996 The year that was...A
chronology of events, December 31, 1995 Prince Faisal attends
reception in Boston, September 10, 1995 Izetbegovic thanks King Fahd,
Saudis for generous donations, by Furqan Ahmed, August 12, 1995 Terms
of top officials extended, July 27, 1995 Connors, McEnroe to see
action in big STF event, by S. P. Imam, June 30, 1995 23-man
Saudi delegation off for Special Olympics, by S. Parwaiz Imam, June
28, 1995 Abdullah patronizes Crown Prince Cup final, May 27, 1995
Carrier pigeons still flying high, by Furqan Ahmed, May 1, 1995 Faisal
welcomes Tyson's visit for Haj, April 18, 1995 King resting outside
Riyadh, January 21, 1995 King Fahd Cup II matches announced, by
Abdulaziz Al-Nofal, September 29, 1994 "Soccer team happy over
sports car gift," by Mohan Vadayar, July 8, 1994 Saudi Philatelic
Society; in service of stamp collectors, by Riyadh Daily Staff, June
22, 1994 Clinton receives Faisal, June 19, 1994 King Fahd lauds Faisal
for books on Saudi cities, January 28, 1994 $124,000 for Islamic
panel, December 3, 1993 FIFA chief Havelange visits Saudi Arabia,
November 12, 1993 Saudi Football Federation denies Candino
allegations, November 3, 1993 King Fahd honors archictects of Saudi
victory in World Cup Asian finals, November 3, 1993 Saudi Prince
Sultan praises Qatari organizers for World Cup Asian qualifying
tourney, October 30, 1993 Lens view of UNDP projects in Saudi Arabia,
by Osama al-Rajkhan, October 24, 1993 Saudi King Fahd extends $2m aid
to Olympic museum, September 24, 1993 Prince Faisal congratulates
Saudi scribe, July 11, 1993 WHO honor for Prince Faisal, July 8, 1993
Saudi British Society seeks to boost cultural ties, by Mohd.
Rasooldeen, June 15, 1993 Turkey seeks Saudi Arabia's support in
Olymbic bid, by M. Ghazanfar Ali Khan, June 5, 1993 Prince Faisal
receives Thai minister, by Furqan Ahmed, April 26, 1993 Kuwaiti honor
for Prince Faisal bin Fahd, by Abdulaziz al-Nofal, April 22, 1993
Opinion: Kuwait, Saudi Arabia cannot be separated, by Ahmed al-Jarallah,
April 22, 1993 Radio Kuwait praises Saudi Gulf war role, April 22,
1993 Prince
Faisal bin Fahd awarded Distinguished Class Medal by Jaber, April 21,
1993 Prince Faisal honored by American Athletics Academy, April 21,
1993, 1992: An eventful year for Saudi Arabia, by Furqan Ahmed,
December 31, 1992 Saudi soccer to open doors to pros, July 2, 1992
Expat workers in Saudi Arabia "generally law-abiding," by a
Staff Writer, June 8, 1992 |
| The New York Times World Cup '94; Awake, America! Let soccer
ring, by Jere Longman, June 12, 1994 Man in the news; Saudis' king
ally of west: Fahd, by Peter Kihss, June 16, 1982 |
| PR Newswire (Untitled press release on Saudi archers in
Olympics) August 8, 1984 (Untitled press release with bios of royal
family members) August 1, 1984 |
| The Reuter Library Report Kuwait says will never forget saudi
Gulf War help, April 21, 1993 Bahrain, Jordan open Arab soccer
tournament with goalless draw, July 8, 1988 King Fahd to visit Egypt
soon, March 29, 1988 Saudi Monarch presents medical centre to Egypt,
October 8, 1987 |
| Reuters Soccer-Saudis set for $267,000 bonus for Cup wins,
June 30, 1994 (Unititled article on Saudi-Soviet relations) by Dina
Matar, September 2, 1985 (Untitled article on Olympic boycott) January
6, 1980 |
| Reuters North European Service Riyadh has no plans to resume
Moscow ties, diplomats say, by Dina Matar, November 7, 1985 Kuwaiti
paper says Riyadh gives green light for Moscow ties, October 14, 1985
Soviet officials fopes for diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia,
September 7, 1985 Saudi Prince says he had good talks with Soviet
official, September 2, 1985 ICO creates Islamic sports federation, May
5, 1985 |
| Reuters World Service Red carpet treatment for Tyson, Ali in
Saudi, April 19, 1995 |
| Rocky Mountain News Christie's TV, film auction to roll out
"Casablanca" car, April 18, 1885 |
| The San Francisco Examiner A real-life thriller: Saudi gems
in Asia; $20 million worth of sparklers were stolen 5 years ago, by
Peer Meinert, January 5, 1995 |
| Sporting Life Cecil's full house; full house for Cecil, by
Tony Elves and Gary Nutting, December 7, 1995 |
| Sunday Telegraph New deaths add to mystery of the royal
jewels, by Philip Sherwell, August 28, 1994 |
| The Times Cecil caught in spotlight as power game unfolds, by
Richard Evans, April 22, 1996 The police chiefs sacked in gem case, by
James Pringle, September 14, 1994 Beenhakker fall foul of royal
dissent, by Rob Hughes, February 22, 1994 Holland prepare for Cruyff's
Spanish inquisition, by Keith Pike, November 23, 1993 |
| The Times Union (Albany, NY Recoverey of missing jewels
twists Saudi saga; 3 packets of gems discovered in Bangkok further
embroil the 5-year-old mystery, by Peer Meinert, January 5, 1995 |
| U.P.I. World Cup weekly; Arabian crash course, by Jeff Shain,
December 27, 1993 Businessman says Saudis helped fund Iranian arms
purchases, by Gregory Gordon, June 24, 1987 |
| Variety Arab astrals explode; but Mideast viewers are not
overwhelmed, by Peter Warg, August 8, 1994-August 14, 1994 |
| The Washington Post Boxing, April 18, 1995 A gem of a curse;
threats, superstition help to recover stolen treasure, by William
Branigin, December 1, 1994 Saudi Arabia to boycott Olympic Games in
Moscow, from News Services, January 7, 1980 |
| The Washington Times Saudi prince's guards stage Arlington
revolt, by Brian Reilly, June 21, 1994 World Cup enthusiasts do all
but play a game, by M. D. Carnegie, June 20, 1994 World Cup no place
for diplomacy, by James Morrison, June 16, 1994 |
| The Xinhua General Overseas News Service Istanbul seeks Saudi
support for Olympic bid, May 3, 1993 7th Arab Games open in Damascus,
September 4, 1992 Chef de mission of Saudi Arabia Asiad delegation
arrives in Beijing, September 19, 1990 Jordinian king visits Saudi
Arabia, April 20, 1990 Saudi minister on foreign policy, February 18,
1989 Saudi Arabian prince receives sports delegation, February 3, 1987
Egypt re-admitted into Arab football federation, December 24, 1988
Saudi prince on talks with Soviet official, September 2, 1985 Kuwaiti
leader of Saudi-Soviet relations, September 1, 1985 Union of Arab
sports boycotts sports meets participated by Israel, January 20, 1982
Saudi Arabia decides to boycott olympic games in Moscow, January 7,
1980 |
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