NYN | News
Hussein Atef Jaber, the official spokesperson for the Southern Yemeni community in Buffalo, New York, has revealed new details about the immense wealth accumulated by former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh during his 33-year rule. According to reports from the United Nations, Saleh’s fortune exceeded $60 billion.
In statements posted on his account on the “X” platform, Jaber explained that Saleh received massive sums from various countries and financial institutions but did not invest them in infrastructure projects. Instead, he took them for personal gain. He mentioned that Kuwait provided $250 million in 2000 to build Sana’a Airport, while Saudi Arabia contributed $500 million in 2005 for the same purpose. Additionally, the Saudi Islamic Bank granted $750 million in 2009 for the new Sana’a Airport project, but these funds were never used for the intended projects.
Jaber further stated that in 2005, Saleh received $5 billion from donors, which was supposed to fund the construction of a railway network, but the money disappeared without any projects being implemented.
He also touched on Saleh’s relationship with former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, noting that his support for Saddam during the 1990 invasion of Kuwait led to the expulsion of two million Yemeni expatriates from Gulf countries. However, he abandoned Saddam in 2003 when the money ran out, according to Jaber.
Jaber accused Saleh of profiting from arms sales to tribes, fueling internal conflicts, and benefiting from foreign investments seeking to operate in Yemen.
He revealed that the Saudi Bin Laden Group had planned to construct a bridge linking Yemen and Djibouti, a project that could have created two million jobs. However, Saleh obstructed the initiative by demanding that his son Ahmed be involved in the deal, causing the company to withdraw.
Jaber also exposed Saleh’s investments and partnerships in various companies and banks. He claimed that Saleh held significant shares in telecommunications companies such as “Spacetel,” “Sabafon,” and “Y,” as well as stakes in banks like the “International Bank of Yemen,” the “Commercial Bank of Yemen,” and the “Commercial Bank of Kuwait.” Furthermore, he had investments in the Coca-Cola factory and deals involving Dubai and Aden ports.
Jaber mentioned that Saleh received $2 billion from the French company “Total” for the liquefied gas project, in addition to deals for selling power generators instead of establishing sustainable energy plants.
He accused members of Saleh’s family of running a vast financial corruption network, alleging that his in-laws were involved in diverting international aid into private accounts, selling Yemeni oil outside official channels, and seizing funds allocated for Somali refugees.
Jaber concluded by highlighting Yemen’s economic decline during Saleh’s rule. He pointed out that when Saleh took power, the exchange rate was 4 Yemeni rials per US dollar, but by the time he left office, it had reached 240 rials per dollar. Meanwhile, unemployment surged from 100,000 to 7 million people.
