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Offshore Leaks Database

Data from
Panama Papers - The Power Players
Former Emir of Qatar

Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani

Offshore company held a bank account; South African companies' shares

Related to

Qatar

About

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani ruled over the energy-rich nation of Qatar from 1995 to 2013 after he deposed his father, who was travelling in Switzerland, in a bloodless coup. In June 2013, Al Thani handed over power to his son, saying it was time for “a new generation.” During his 18 years in power, Al Thani was widely-credited with increasing Qatar’s political clout and growing its economy.

In the data

In March 2014, less than a year after Al Thani resigned as Qatar’s ruler, a Luxembourg lawyer contacted Mossack Fonseca to convey Al Thani's interest in buying an off-the-shelf company registered in the British Virgin Islands. The company the former emir acquired, Afrodille S.A., would hold a bank account in Luxembourg and shares in two South African companies, according to the lawyer. From September 2013, Al Thani was also the majority shareholder of Rienne S.A. and of Yalis S.A., which held a term deposit with the Bank of China in Luxembourg, according to the files. While Al Thani held majority ownership in both companies, a 25 percent stake in each was held by another family member, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani, Qatar’s former prime minister and foreign minister.

Response

The Emir did not respond to a request for comment via his offshore companies' administrator.
This visualization contains relevant information in relation to the profiled individual. Some additional connections might show up once we release the full structured data connected to the Paradise Papers investigation in the coming weeks.

Disclaimer

There are legitimate uses for offshore companies and trusts. The inclusion of a person or entity in the ICIJ Offshore Leaks Database is not intended to suggest or imply that they have engaged in illegal or improper conduct. Many people and entities have the same or similar names. We suggest you confirm the identities of any individuals or entities included in the database based on addresses or other identifiable information. The data comes directly from the leaked files ICIJ has received in connection with various investigations and each dataset encompasses a defined time period specified in the database. Some information may have changed over time. Please contact us if you find an error in the database.

There are legitimate uses for offshore companies and trusts. Read more