[[Adnan Khashoggi]] (25 July 1935 – 6 June 2017) was an international arms merchant and a factotum for the House of Saud. He was considered the richest man in the world in the 1980s. Khashoggi covered his financial tracks by establishing front companies in [[Switzerland]] and [[Liechtenstein]] to handle his commissions. He also developed contacts with notable figures such as [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] officers [[James H. Critchfield]] and [[Kim Roosevelt]], and U.S. businessman [[Bebe Rebozo]], a close associate of former U.S. President [[Richard Nixon]].[^1] Khashoggi's sister, [[Samira Khashoggi Fayed]], was the mother of [[Dodi Fayed]], who was romantically involved with [[Diana, Princess of Wales]]. Khashoggi's yacht, *Nabila*, was the largest in the world at the time and was featured in the James Bond film *Never Say Never Again*.[^1] ### Involvement in Iran-Contra Affair and PROMIS Scandal Khashoggi was implicated in the [[Iran-Contra Affair]] as a key middleman in the arms-for-hostages exchange, working alongside Iranian arms dealer [[Manucher Ghorbanifar]]. He was found to have borrowed money for these arms purchases from the now-bankrupt financial institution, the [[Bank of Credit and Commerce International|BCCI]], with [[Saudi Arabia|Saudi]] and U.S. backing.[^1] BCCI helped Adnan Khashoggi finance the sale of arms to [[Iran]] as a part of the [[Ronald Reagan|Reagan Administration]]'s Iran-Contra effort.[^2] Khashoggi participated in five of the deals for the [[United States]], and BCCI provided the bridge financing through [[Israel]] to [[Iran]].[^3] He was also involved in brokering the transaction of [[PROMIS]] software to an Arab Sheik for resale and general distribution. He was mentioned in a document dated May 16, 1985, along with [[Manucher Ghorbanifar]] and [[Richard Armitage]], as individuals who would broker this transaction. [[William Bradford Reynolds]] independently remembered Armitage, Khashoggi, and Ghorbanifar working together on [[PROMIS]].[^1] ### Legal Troubles In 1988, Khashoggi was arrested in [[Switzerland]], accused of concealing funds. He was held for three months and then extradited to the [[United States]], where he was released on bail and subsequently acquitted. In 1990, a [[United States|U.S.]] federal jury in Manhattan acquitted Khashoggi and [[Imelda Marcos]], widow of the exiled Philippine President [[Ferdinand Marcos]], of racketeering and fraud.[^1] ### Connections His cousin, [[Hassan Yassin]], was described as a close business associate of [[Kamal Adham]].[^4] ### Footnotes [^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010. [^2]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 12. [^3]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 387. [^4]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 352.