Longlisted for the Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award 2021
In this compelling story of greed,chicanery and tarnished idealism,two Wall Street Journal reporters investigate a man who Bill Gates and Western governments entrusted with hundreds of millions of dollars to make profits and end poverty but now stands accused of masterminding one of the biggest,most brazen frauds ever.
Arif Naqvi was charismatic,inspiring and self-made. The founder of the Dubai-based private-equity firm Abraaj,he was the Key Man to the global elite searching for impact investments to make money and do good. He persuaded politicians he could help stabilize the Middle East after 9/11 by providing jobs and guided executives to opportunities in cities they struggled to find on the map. Bill Gates helped him start a billion-dollar fund to improve health care in poor countries,and the UN and Interpol appointed him to boards. Naqvi also won the support of President Obama's administration and the chief of a British government fund compared him to Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible.
The only problem In 2019 Arif Naqvi was arrested on charges of fraud and racketeering at Heathrow airport. A British judge has approved his extradition to the US and he faces up to 291 years in jail if found guilty.
With a cast featuring famous billionaires and statesmen moving across Asia,Africa,Europe and America,The Key Man is the story of how the global elite was duped by a capitalist fairy tale. Clark and Louch's thrilling investigation exposes one of the world's most audacious scams and shines a light on the hypocrisy,corruption and greed at the heart of the global financial system.
Publisher: Penguin Books LtdISBN: 9780241988947Number of pages: 352Weight: 245 gDimensions: 198 x 129 x 21 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
'A scorching epilogue... This is tough stuff and this is a tough book that should contribute to much greater scepticism about the bloated financial system'- The Sunday Times
'Impeccably researched and sumptuous in its detail...It is a page-turner,built around a riveting portrait of the key man of the title. Mr. Naqvi who comes across as a teeming mass of contradictions'- The Economist
'A pacy and deeply-reported tale'- The Financial Times
'Gripping... The account raises questions over whether'impact investing'and'stakeholder capitalism'are less about poverty alleviation for the world than guilt alleviation for the Davos elite'- The Guardian
Kommentar