Sultan bin Khalifa

United Arab Emirates - Presidential adviser

About

Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, the eldest son of United Arab Emirates President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, is the chairperson of SBK Holding LLC, a UAE conglomerate that includes companies in the petrochemical, aviation and hospitality sectors. He has held several government positions, including serving as a member of the governing body of Abu Dhabi, the seat of power in the UAE.

The Al Nahyan family is one of the UAE’s six ruling families and has presided over the oil-rich Abu Dhabi emirate since the 18th century. It is one of the richest royal families in the world, with the king’s wealth estimated at roughly $15 billion. Sheikh Sultan, his son, has a reputation of using his royal and political authority to strike deals. U.S. diplomats described him as "Shaykh Ten Percent" in leaked cables. "He has been known to misuse his royal status to take advantage of commercial opportunities in Abu Dhabi and ask for kickback payments," then-U.S. Ambassador Marcelle M. Wahba wrote in 2003, according to WikiLeaks.

Sheikh Sultan was allegedly engaged in what a British judge described as a “sham” deal in the early 2000s, a transaction in which the director of his private management office was also implicated. Offshore structures were allegedly used to transfer $1.3 billion between Roman Abramovich and Boris Berezovsky, two Russian oligarchs, a service for which Sheikh Sultan is said to have received a commission of $200 million. The deal was revealed in 2011 London court proceedings between Abramovich and Berezovsky.

Political Career

Presidential adviser (2010-present)

Abu Dhabi Executive Council member (2004-2010)

In The Pandora Papers

The Pandora Papers investigation shows that in 2009, Sheikh Sultan was a shareholder of PJ K70 Ltd. in the British Virgin Islands. The company director was the director of the sheikh’s private management office, Eyhab Jumean, a Jordanian billionaire. Shortly after the incorporation of the company, Sheikh Sultan transferred his share to Jumean. The company was dissolved in 2016.

A property owned by Sheikh Sultan was used as the registration address of nearly a dozen offshore companies incorporated by Dubai-based service provider SFM Corporate Services. Members of UAE royal families often offer services to offshore companies in return for commissions or a share of profits.

Secrecy Jurisdictions

British Virgin Islands

Panama

Secrecy Broker

At the heart of the Pandora Papers are 14 offshore firms that help clients establish companies in secrecy jurisdictions. This profile draws on leaked data from these providers:

Triden Trust - SFM

Discover this Power Player’s offshore connections.