Ali Sharif Al Emadi (; born 3 January 1969) is a Qatari economist and businessman. He served as the

minister of finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

from June 2013 to May 2021. He also served as chairman of the

QNB Group Qatar National Bank (QNB Group) () is a Qatari multinational commercial bank headquartered in Doha, Qatar. It was founded in 1964 and currently has subsidiaries and associates in 31 countries on three continents. The bank's ownership is evenly di ...

and was on the board of directors of

Ooredoo Ooredoo QSC (; formerly Qtel) is a Qatari multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Doha. Ooredoo provides mobile, wireless, wire line, and content services with market share in domestic and internatio ...

, Tunisian-Qatari Bank, and

Union of Arab Banks Union of Arab Banks (UAB) is an organization responsible for fostering cooperation between Arab banks, developing of Arab financial business, and enhancing the financing role of Arab banks in the Arab World. The Union of Arab Banks was formed on Ma ...

Early life and education

Al Emadi was born on 3 January 1969. He holds a bachelor's degree in finance from the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

Career

Al Emadi worked in the banking control department of the

Qatar Central Bank The Qatar Central Bank (QCB, ) is the central bank of Qatar. Originally known as the Qatar Monetary Agency it was founded in 1973. Over its history the Qatar Central Bank has increasingly worked in association with other, larger central banks ...

for eight years until 1998. He joined the

Qatar National Bank Qatar National Bank (QNB Group) () is a Qatari multinational commercial bank headquartered in Doha, Qatar. It was founded in 1964 and currently has subsidiaries and associates in 31 countries on three continents. The bank's ownership is evenly d ...

in 1998. He was appointed the bank's chief executive in 2005, succeeding Saeed bin Abdullah Al Misnad in the post. Emadi was included in the ''Top 100 Powerful Arabs'' list in February 2013, coming in the 32nd place due to his role in the rapid growth and expansion of the Qatar National Bank. His tenure lasted until June 2013. He was appointed minister of economy and finance on 26 June in a cabinet reshuffle following the ascension of Sheikh

Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (; born 3 June 1980) is Emir of Qatar, reigning since 2013. Tamim is the fourth son of former emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, born to his second spouse, Moza bint Nasser, Moza bint Nassir. He became heir ...

Emir of Qatar The Emir of the State of Qatar () is the monarch and head of state of the country. The emir is also the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces and guarantor of the Constitution. The emir holds the most powerful position in the country, and has a ...

. Emadi replaced Yousef Hussain Kamal in the post. He was named as a member of the administrative council of the

Qatar Investment Authority The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA; ) is Qatar's sovereign wealth fund. The QIA was founded by the State of Qatar in 2005 to strengthen the country's economy by diversifying into new asset classes. In November 2024, the QIA had an estimated $526 ...

(QIA) on 1 July 2013. He was also made board chairman of Qatar National Bank on 7 July 2013. ''

The Intercept ''The Intercept'' is an American left-wing nonprofit news organization that publishes articles and podcasts online. ''The Intercept'' has published in English since its founding in 2014, and in Portuguese since the 2016 launch of the Brazilia ...

'' reported on 2 March 2018 that

Jared Kushner Jared Corey Kushner (born January 10, 1981) is an American businessman and investor. He is a son-in-law of the president of the United States, Donald Trump, through his marriage to Ivanka Trump and served as a senior advisor in his father-in- ...

and his father, Charles Kushner, made a proposal to Qatar’s finance minister, Al Emadi, in April 2017 to secure investment into 666 5th Avenue asset in his family's company’s portfolio. When his request was not fulfilled, a group of Middle Eastern countries, with Jared Kushner’s backing, initiated a diplomatic assault that culminated in a blockade of Qatar. Kushner specifically undermined the efforts by Secretary of State

Rex Tillerson Rex Tillerson is an American energy executive who served as the 69th United States secretary of state from 2017 to 2018 in the first administration of Donald Trump. From 2006 to 2016, he was chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Exxon ...

to bring an end to the standoff.

Arrest and charges

On 6 May 2021, a notice was issued by the Attorney General of Qatar to arrest him on charges of misuse of public money, abuse of function and abuse of power. In late May El Emadi was dismissed from his post as the board chairman of Qatar National Bank following his arrest. In March 2023, Al Elmadi was charged with

bribery Bribery is the corrupt solicitation, payment, or Offer and acceptance, acceptance of a private favor (a bribe) in exchange for official action. The purpose of a bribe is to influence the actions of the recipient, a person in charge of an official ...

, abuse of position and power, damage to public funds and

money laundering Money laundering is the process of illegally concealing the origin of money obtained from illicit activities (often known as dirty money) such as drug trafficking, sex work, terrorism, corruption, and embezzlement, and converting the funds i ...

, for which he will stand trial.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Emadi, Ali Sharif 1969 births Living people Finance ministers of Qatar Qatari economists University of Arizona alumni Qatari prisoners and detainees