Epstein Documents Reveal: Yemeni Businessman Proposed a “Presidential Leadership Council” Four Years Before Its Announcement in Riyadh
A 2018 email shows Shaher Abdulhaq’s role in floating the idea of a presidential council to Washington and naming Ali Mohsen as its head
NYN | Reports and Analyses
Documents linked to the case of American businessman Jeffrey Epstein have revealed new details regarding the background of the idea to form Yemen’s “Presidential Leadership Council,” which was officially announced in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, in April 2022.
A document dated September 2018 shows an email sent by Yemeni businessman Shaher Abdulhaq to Epstein, containing an explicit call to present a proposal to the U.S. administration for the establishment of a Yemeni presidential council composed of three to five members.
Proposal for a “Presidential Council” Headed by Ali Mohsen
According to the email, Abdulhaq proposed that Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar assume the presidency of the envisioned council, within what he described as an “American plan,” referring to a proposed political framework to reorganize the Yemeni political landscape.
The message also outlined a proposed structure for the council, including two members from Sanaa, one from Hadramawt, in addition to the council president, his deputy, and the head of the coalition-backed government.
Epstein as an Intermediary to Washington
The document indicated that Abdulhaq asked Epstein to convey the proposal to decision-making circles in Washington, using a striking expression in which he referred to officials there as “thick-minded.”
From a Narrow Proposal to an Expanded Council in 2022
Nearly four years after the email, Saudi Arabia adopted the idea in an expanded form by announcing the formation of the “Presidential Leadership Council” in April 2022, headed by Rashad al-Alimi and including seven other members.
Subsequently, the council underwent changes and the sidelining of some of its members following rapid political and security developments, particularly in Hadramawt Governorate.
Questions Over the Independence of Yemeni Political Decision-Making
Observers believe these documents open wide the door to questions about the extent of external interference in designing Yemen’s governing political structure and the degree to which it has been tied to influential Western circles, away from Yemen’s national will.
