Latest News

  • Home
  • Global
  • He Was On Forbes '100 Richest' List. Now Saudi Will Auction His Assets
He Was On Forbes '100 Richest' List. Now Saudi Will Auction His Assets
Monday, September 17, 2018 IST
He Was On Forbes

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia will auction real estate owned by indebted billionaire Maan al-Sanea and his company starting next month to help repay billions of riyals due to creditors, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
 

 
 

Sanea, ranked by Forbes in 2007 as one of the world's 100 richest people, was detained last year for unpaid debts dating back to 2009 when his company, Saad Group, defaulted.
 
His case is separate from the scores of Saudi businessmen and prominent figures who were held on corruption charges last year at Riyadh's Ritz Carlton hotel, although it touches on similar investor concerns about corporate governance.
 
In what was Saudi Arabia's longest-running debt dispute, creditors have spent the past nine years pursuing Saad Group, which is based in the Eastern Province, for debt repayment.
 
Etqaan Alliance, the consortium appointed late last year by a three-judge tribunal to resolve Saad's debt dispute, will sell the assets over five months at auctions in the Eastern Province, Riyadh and Jeddah, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
 
The first auction - of undeveloped and commercial land plots, a farm, and income-generating residential buildings in Eastern Province's Khobar and Dammam - will take place in late October, the sources added.
 
One source estimated sale proceeds at one to two billion riyals ($267-$533 million).
 
A creditor source said the auction had been delayed because of weakness in the local property market.
 
In March, Etqaan launched the first phase of the auction with around 900 vehicles owned by Saad Group, including trucks, buses, diggers, forklift trucks and golf carts.
 
That auction raised around 125 million riyals, which went to repay some creditors, including unpaid workers. Proceeds from upcoming auctions will go to 34 creditors, mostly banks, the sources said.
 
 

 
 

It is unclear whether Sanea, who remains in detention, will be released after his assets are sold.
 
Saad Group, with interests spanning banking to healthcare, defaulted together with Ahmad Hamad al-Gosaibi and Brothers (AHAB) in 2009, leaving banks with unpaid debt of about $22 billion in what was Saudi Arabia's biggest financial meltdown.
 
Earlier this year, Reemas, a financial consultancy advising al-Sanea, reached out to some creditors to try to agree to a settlement that could involve swapping creditor debts for real estate assets, but the terms are still under negotiation.
 
Local, regional and international banks eligible for a settlement have claims totalling 16 billion riyals, with international banks such as BNP Paribas and Citi, and regional lenders such as Mashreq, having claims of over 1 billion riyals each, sources told Reuters previously.
 
Some observers estimate Saad's total debt to be between 40 billion and 60 billion riyals.
 

 
 
 
 
 

Related Topics

 
 
 

Trending News & Articles

 Article
'Worse than prison': A rare look inside China's detention camps to 'brainwash' Muslims

ALMATY: Hour upon hour, day upon day, Omir Bekali and other detainees in far western China's new indoctrination camps had to disavow the...

Recently posted . 206K views . 1 min read
 

 Article
What The Shape Of Your Belly Button Says About Your Health

If you have payed attention to the belly buttons of people on the beach or the members of your family, you have probably noticed that they have different shapes and...

Recently posted . 10K views . 2 min read
 

 Article
New ‘Langya’ virus hits China as 35 people found infected: How deadly is it?

The Langya henipavirus has a place with a similar group of infections, including Nipah, which is known to kill up to 3/4 of people in extreme cases.

Recently posted . 5K views . 1 min read
 

 Article
Queen Elizabeth Dies At 96: The New Royal Line Of Succession

Queen's death: The eldest of her four children, Charles, Prince of Wales, who at 73 was the oldest heir apparent in British history, became king immediately...

Recently posted . 5K views . 1 min read
 

 
 

More in Global

 Article
After work, is what determines your future! Spend one hour per day doing these 5 things and your life will change forever!

You finish work at 6 pm, go to bed at 12 midnight.

Recently posted. 744 views . 0 min read
 

 Article
The fishing port that may become a $10 billion Chinese debt bomb

The town of Kyaukpyu, nestled around a small fishing port on the Bay of Bengal, has the air of a place expecting to get rich soon.

Recently posted. 654 views . 0 min read
 

 Article
Confused about your weekend plans? 5 apps that will have you sorted

Here’s a checklist of 5 apps that will tell you about the events happening in your vicinity and the best spots to hang out with friends and family.

Recently posted. 575 views . 1 min read
 

 Video
10 Most Dangerous Kids Toys Ever



Recently posted . 843 views
 

 Photo
7 Animals Essential For Human Survival



Recently posted . 1K views
 

 Reviews
The Best 5 Camping Tents in India 2018 – Reviews & Buying Guide



Recently posted . 3K views . 99 min read
 

 Article
What black hole image tells us

When scientists ‘photographed’ an invisible black hole: the image captures the area around it, generated from data collected by a set of telescopes, a...

Recently posted. 939 views . 1 min read
 

 Article
10 Brilliantly Made Ads With Hidden Double Meanings

Making an eye-catching ad is requires a lot of creativity and innovation. Marketers always try to engage their audience with something different and new. While some...

Recently posted. 1K views . 3 min read
 

 
 
 

   Prashnavali

  Thought of the Day

“If opportunity does not knock, then build a door.”
Anonymous

Be the first one to comment on this story

Close
Post Comment
Shibu Chandran
2 hours ago

Serving political interests in another person's illness is the lowest form of human value. A 70+ y old lady has cancer.

November 28, 2016 05:00 IST
Shibu Chandran
2 hours ago

Serving political interests in another person's illness is the lowest form of human value. A 70+ y old lady has cancer.

November 28, 2016 05:00 IST
Shibu Chandran
2 hours ago

Serving political interests in another person's illness is the lowest form of human value. A 70+ y old lady has cancer.

November 28, 2016 05:00 IST
Shibu Chandran
2 hours ago

Serving political interests in another person's illness is the lowest form of human value. A 70+ y old lady has cancer.

November 28, 2016 05:00 IST


ads
Back To Top