Arif Naqvi. Reuters
Arif Naqvi. Reuters
Arif Naqvi. Reuters
Arif Naqvi. Reuters

Date set for Abraaj founder Arif Naqvi's US extradition hearing


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Arif Naqvi, the founder of Abraaj Group, will face an extradition hearing in February next year, according to a London court ruling.

Mr Naqvi and five others have been charged by US prosecutors, who allege they took part in a vast international scheme, inflating the value of the Dubai company's holdings and defrauding a number of investors, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The Abraaj founder has been accused of allegedly personally benefiting to the tune of millions of dollars.

He has denied any wrongdoing and said the accusation is "ludicrous".

Mr Naqvi was had been released from prison in May after being granted a record £15 million (Dh69.69m) bail.

Since his release, Mr Naqvi is subject to a 24-hour curfew at his family's flat in London while US authorities continue with their attempts to extradite him to face fraud charges.

Mr Naqvi lives close to Hyde Park, one of London’s most desirable locations renowned for its expensive properties.

His London home was valued at more than £1m a decade ago and the ownership is held by a company based in the British Virgin Islands, according to official documents.

Under the bail terms, Mr Naqvi surrendered his travel documents, has to wear an electronic tag and is confined to his London home.

Abraaj was the largest buyout fund in the Middle East and North Africa until it collapsed in 2018 after investors raised concerns about the management of its $1 billion healthcare fund.

Abraaj claimed to have managed almost $14bn in assets under management. Executives had planned to set up a $6bn fund, known as Fund Six, intended to plug shortfalls and help ease the liquidity crunch, according to charges.

Mr Naqvi is accused of standing at the helm of Abraaj's criminal activities.

The National learnt in May that a British charity set up by the Abraaj foundation is set to cease operations after UK regulators said they would assess charges against Mr Naqvi.

US authorities say they have identified the Aman Foundation as a potential beneficiary for the “improper use” of $1m (Dh3.67m) of investors’ money, though the UK’s Charity Commission has found no financial wrongdoing so far.

It is understood that Mr Naqvi had no involvement in the running of the UK charity and is not listed as a trustee.

The bio

Job: Coder, website designer and chief executive, Trinet solutions

School: Year 8 pupil at Elite English School in Abu Hail, Deira

Role Models: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk

Dream City: San Francisco

Hometown: Dubai

City of birth: Thiruvilla, Kerala

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ARGENTINA SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Franco Armani, Agustin Marchesin, Esteban Andrada
Defenders: Juan Foyth, Nicolas Otamendi, German Pezzella, Nicolas Tagliafico, Ramiro Funes Mori, Renzo Saravia, Marcos Acuna, Milton Casco
Midfielders: Leandro Paredes, Guido Rodriguez, Giovani Lo Celso, Exequiel Palacios, Roberto Pereyra, Rodrigo De Paul, Angel Di Maria
Forwards: Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Lautaro Martinez, Paulo Dybala, Matias Suarez

The specs

Engine: 5.0-litre V8

Power: 480hp at 7,250rpm

Torque: 566Nm at 4,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: L/100km

Price: Dh306,495

On sale: now

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

While you're here
The specs

Price: From Dh180,000 (estimate)

Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged and supercharged in-line four-cylinder

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Power: 320hp @ 5,700rpm

Torque: 400Nm @ 2,200rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 9.7L / 100km

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