Ely Calil
Ely Calil | |
|---|---|
| Born | 8 December 1945 Kano |
| Died | 28 May 2018 (aged 72) London |
Ely Calil (8 December 1945 – 28 May 2018) was a Lebanese businessman holding British citizenship. He was one of the richest men in Britain; The Sunday Times Magazine estimated his wealth in 2010 to be around £350 million.[1]
Life
His ancestry can be traced back to 1920s or 30s when his family set up their home in what's today Turkey after leaving Lebanon, but then returned to Lebanon after Ataturk's policies discriminating against Christians. Before he was born, his family set up an oil mill for groundnut processing in Lebanon in 1941. His father, George Khalil, died in 1970, leaving behind two sons, him [Ely] and Bernard, and was said to have bequeathed £20 million to Ely.[2]
Allegations
In 2002, Calil was arrested in Paris in connection with the Elf Aquitaine scandal but was released on appeal.[3]
In 2004 Calil was alleged to be part in the failed coup d'état in Equatorial Guinea and is currently sought by courts both in Equatorial Guinea and South Africa.[4] In September 2004, he was sued by the Equatorial Guinean government for allegedly to have raised $750 000 to finance the plot.[5]
Personal life
He married his first wife, a Tennessee tobacco heiress named Frances Condon, at Roman Catholic church in Farm Street, Mayfair in 1972. The couple divorced in 1985, and the following year, Calil married a Lebanese socialite, Hayat Emma Morowa. The marriage also failed, and Calil married his third wife, Renuka Jaine, in 1989. He died on 28 May 2018 after falling down stairs.[6]
References
- ^ "The Times & The Sunday Times". Retrieved 2018-06-11.
- ^ "Under fire: Lebanese millionaire who seems to know everybody". The Independent. Retrieved 26 August 2004.
- ^ "The Times & The Sunday Times". Retrieved 2018-06-11.
- ^ Blaisse, Mark. Rich, Betrayed en Lonely. Reconstruction of the international plot against Equatorial Guinea (PREG Publications, Malabo, 2011)[page needed]
- ^ "UK businessman sued for coup". News 24 Archives. Retrieved 10 September 2004.
- ^ "Ely Calil: The oil magnate who financed the failed 'wonga coup' in Equatorial Guinea". The Independent. Retrieved 2018-06-11.