Brief

Our client tasked us to conduct a due diligence on a United Arab Emirates-based conglomerate active in the Middle East and Africa, with particular focus on the subject’s track record, political connections, and potential involvement in funding one of the main parties in a civil war.

Approach

We conducted extensive enquiries with our well-placed sources and public record research, including a thorough review of a report by a small NGO that accused the conglomerate of misappropriating state funds.

Findings

Our findings disproved the allegations raised by the NGO report, which contained unsubstantiated claims and eventually led to their dismissal. However, we uncovered indirect, outdated connections between the conglomerate and a controversial individual with alleged ties to terrorist financing. These were related to the conglomerate’s former management and did not have significant connections to its present-day operations.

Impact

Equipped with our analysis, the client made an informed decision to go ahead with the business transaction in question.