The Key Man: How The Global Elite Was Duped By A Capitalist Fairy Tale

Description

Impeccably researched and sumptuous in its detail... It s a page-turner The Economist

Well-paced and cleverly organised The Sunday Times

Gripping Guardian

A pacy and deeply-reported tale Financial Times

Longlisted for the 2021 Financial Times / McKinsey Business Book of the Year

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.

An unbelievable true tale of greed, corruption and manipulation among the world s financial elite Harry Markopolos, the Bernie Madoff whistleblower

About the Author

Simon Clark is a journalist and writer who previously worked at the Wall Street Journal. His investigative reporting has led him to the poppy fields of Afghanistan, the copper mines of Congo and to many banks in the City of London. He was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 2016. He lives in Lewes, England.

Will Louch is a reporter covering finance for Bloomberg News in London. He was previously a Wall Street Journal reporter covering private equity in London and New York.