Mohammad Safadi
Mohammad Ahmed Safadi | |
---|---|
Minister of Finance | |
In office 13 June 2011 – February 2014 | |
Prime Minister | Najib Mikati |
Preceded by | Raya Haffar Al Hassan |
Succeeded by | Ali Hassan Khalil |
Minister of Economy and Trade | |
In office 22 July 2008 – 13 June 2011 | |
Preceded by | Sami Haddad |
Succeeded by | Nicholas Nahas |
Personal details | |
Born | Tripoli, Lebanon | 28 March 1944
Political party | Tripoli Bloc |
Children | 2 |
Alma mater | American University of Beirut |
Website | http://www.mohammad-safadi.com/ |
Mohammad Ahmed Safadi (Arabic: محمد أحمد الصفدي; born 28 March 1944) is a Lebanese businessman that served as minister of finance under Najib Mikati.
Early life and education
Safadi was born in Tripoli, Lebanon, on 28 March 1944 to Sunni family.[1][2] His family are businesspeople, running their own firm in Tripoli.[3]
He is a graduate of the American University of Beirut where he received a bachelor's degree in business administration in February 1968.[2][4]
Business career
Safadi began his career in the private sector in Lebanon in 1969.[5] In 1975 when the civil war broke out in Lebanon, he began to invest in Saudi Arabia.[3][6] Therefore, he has many business investments in Saudi Arabia.[7]
He expanded his business across the Arab world and into Europe in Saudi Arabia.[1] He also worked as business manager in London for Prince Turki bin Nasser, a member of House of Saud.[3] Safadi established Safadi Group Holding in Lebanon in the 1990s.[8][9]
Political career
Safadi has been a member of the Lebanese parliament since 2000 as part of the Tripoli bloc.[8][10] He served as the minister of public works and transport from 19 July 2005 to July 2008.[1][10] Safadi also served as acting energy and water minister in 2007 and in 2008.[11][12] Next, he was appointed minister of economy and trade on 11 July 2008 to the cabinet headed by Fouad Siniora.[1][5] He was reelected member of parliament in the 2009 elections and he was on the list of the March 14 alliance.[13][14] Safadi was appointed minister of economy and trade to the cabinet of Saad Hariri on 9 November 2009,[15] and his tenure lasted until June 2011.[10]
Safadi did not support for Saad Hariri in the 2011 cabinet formation talks with Lebanese President Michel Suleiman.[7] Instead, he voted for Najib Mikati during cabinet formation consultations in January 2011.[16] Therefore, he broke with his March 14 allies and sided with the Hezbollah-led March 8 coalition along with Mikati.[17] Safadi became an ally of Mikati after this event.[18]
Safadi served as the minister of finance from 13 June 2011 to February 2014 in the cabinet led by Prime Minister Mikati.[6][19][20] Within the cabinet, Safadi is part of the group appointed by the Prime Minister[8] and an independent or non-affiliated minister in the Mikati's cabinet.[21] In October 2012, As Safir reported that Safadi would not participate in the 2013 parliamentary elections in Tripoli possibly due to health concerns.[22]
Safadi chairs the steering committee of the Middle East Regional Technical Assistance Committee (METAC) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).[23] He is also the head of the Lebanese-German Parliamentary Friendship Committee and a member of the Economy Commission in the parliament.[24]
Safadi's term as finance minister ended in February 2014 when Ali Hassan Khalil was appointed to the post.[25]
In November 2019, amidst the 2019 Lebanese protests, Safadi was tapped as the next Prime Minister of Lebanon, to succeed Saad Hariri.[26] Safadi withdrew his candidacy on November 16, stating that it would have been difficult to form a harmonious cabinet.[27]
Controversy
The Guardian reported that Safadi involved in Al Yamama arms deal through an anonymous offshore company, Poseidon.[28] The company was allegedly used to transfer money to Safadi, who was working for Prince Turki bin Nasser, Saudi royal and an air force officer at that time.[28][29]
Personal life
On 5 October 2015, Safadi married Violette Khaïrallah. Previously, he was married and has two children. His son, Ramzi, died in a car crash in England on 10 March 2008.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e "MP Mohammad Safadi". NOW Lebanon. 2 October 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
- ^ a b "Mohammad A. Safadi". Safadi Foundation. Archived from the original on 9 September 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
- ^ a b c David Leigh; Rob Evans (7 June 2007). "Biography. M. Safadi". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
- ^ "Former Ministers". Ministry of Economy and Trade. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- ^ a b "Meet the government". Now Lebanon. 11 July 2008. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
- ^ a b "Mohammad Safadi". Beirut. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
- ^ a b Moubayed, Sami (29 January 2011). "Hariri backed wrong horse". Asia Times Online. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
- ^ a b c "Lebanon announces cabinet line-up". NOW Lebanon. 13 June 2011. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- ^ "Profiles: Lebanon's new government". Lebanonwire. 12 July 2008. Archived from the original on 11 May 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
- ^ a b c "Mohammad A. Safadi". Ministry of Finance. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
- ^ Habib, Osama (20 October 2007). "Lebanon to allow price of oil to float if market rises further". The Daily Star. Beirut. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
- ^ "Speakers from the Government of Lebanon". The Economist. 15 June 2010. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
- ^ "Lebanon: Wikileaks cables expose Hezbollah, Syria allies". Ya Libnan. 3 May 2011. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
- ^ "New parliament composition" (PDF). Lebanese Information Center. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
- ^ Ladki, Nadim (9 November 2009). "Lebanon's Hariri forms unity government with Hezbollah". Reuters. Beirut. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- ^ Moubayed, Sami (15 February 2011). "Why Hariri no longer matters". Asia Times Online. Damascus. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
- ^ Amrieh, Antoine (29 January 2011). "PM-designate camp to counter pro-Hariri rally with 'day of joy'". The Daily Star. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
- ^ Salem, Paul (15 June 2011). "Lebanon's New Government: Outlines and Challenges". Carnegie Middle East. Retrieved 21 April 2013.
- ^ El Basha, Thomas (13 June 2011). "Mikati forms 30-member Lebanon Cabinet". The Daily Star. Beirut. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- ^ "The Cabinet". Embassy of Lebanon Washington DC. Archived from the original on 14 April 2013. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
- ^ "The New Lebanese Government" (Assessment Report). Lebanese Information Center. July 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
- ^ "Safadi not to run in 2013 parliamentary elections, report says". NOW Lebanon. 4 April 2012. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- ^ "Steering Committee". Middle East Regional Technical Assistance Center. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
- ^ "Equitable Growth". The Business Year. 14 February 2012. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
- ^ "Lebanon announces new government after ten month political deadlock". Euronews. 15 February 2014. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
- ^ "Lebanon's Safadi agrees to be next PM amid economic crisis: Bassil". Reuters. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
- ^ "Lebanon's Safadi withdraws candidacy to be next prime minister". France24. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
- ^ a b "BAE files". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
- ^ Lebanese billionaire is drawn into BAE arms deal inquiry as 'second middleman for Saudis', 2 Dec 2006, The Guardian