Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri

Ali Bin Mohsen Bin Fetais Al-Marri (in Arabic: علي بن محسن بن فطيس المري, born February 8, 1965 in Doha) is a senior Qatari official and magistrate.

Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri
Al-Marri in 2019
Attorney General of Qatar
Assumed office
June 19, 2002
MonarchTamim bin Hamad
Prime MinisterAbdullah bin Nasser Al Thani
Preceded byPosition established
Personal details
Born (1965-02-08) February 8, 1965
Doha, Qatar
Spouse(s)Married
Children2
Alma materUniversity of Rennes

Since 2002, he is the Attorney General of Qatar.

Internationally, Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri is a Special Advocate for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).[1]

Together with members of his family, he created the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Centre (ROLACC), of which he also owns the offices.[2][3]

Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri is the subject of several controversies, notably for ill-gotten gains in Geneva and Paris, bank accounts held at the National Bank of Kuwait and human rights violations.[4][5] He was also accused by US media and a leaked diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks of having helped members of his family who were members of Al-Qaeda.[6][7]

Biography

Born on February 8, 1965 in Doha, Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri originates from the Bedouin Al-Marri tribe.[8]

From a modest family, Al-Marri quickly made a career out of his loyalty. "He has no room for manoeuvre within the seraglio. […] The Al-Marri are not lucky enough to be part of the elite", explain French journalists Nicolas Beau and Jacques-Marie Bourget.[9]"At the palace's request, he is the one who judicially executes the troublemakers, prosecuting them for corruption, which is not a difficult task".[9]

Education

After completing his education in Qatar, Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri earned a master's degree in Public Law at the University of Rennes, France.

Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri speaks Arabic, French and English.[10]

Family

Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri is married and father to two sons, Hamad Ali, born in 2002, and Tameen Ali, born in 2013.[10]

He is also a relative of Maha Ali, a student in Doha and of Abdulmehsen Hamad Fetais, director of the ROLACC.[2][11] and another daughter Sadeem Ali born 2007

According to media reports, Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri is related to Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri and his brother Jarallah, both Al-Qaeda members.[6][7][12]

Professional career

Qatar University

Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri began his career in 1997 as an assistant at Qatar University, where he taught international law.

Council of Ministers

In 1997, he was appointed Assistant Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers and attended weekly meetings.

Diwan of the Emir

From 1998, he headed the legal department of the Diwan of the Emir of Qatar, with the position of Under-Secretary.

In March 2001, Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri represented Qatar before the International Court of Justice in the case of maritime delimitation and territorial issues between Qatar and Bahrain.[13]

Attorney General

Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri is appointed Attorney General of Qatar by a decree of the Emir on June 19, 2002.[10]

International nominations

United Nations

Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri has been a member of the United Nations International Law Commission since 2002[14]

In September 2012, in the aftermath of the Arab Spring, Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri was appointed Special Regional Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) for the recovery of stolen assets.[15]

His mandate was renewed in 2014[16]

Several observers criticized this appointment in light of the revelations concerning ill-gotten gains in the name of Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri.[17]

ROLACC

Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri is the president and founder of the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Centre, a Qatari organization founded in 2009. In March 2017, ROLACC opened a Geneva office, ROLACC Geneva also chaired by Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri, his secretary-general being a member of his family, Abdulmehsen Hamad Fetais, born in 1985.[11][18]

On December 8, 2017, ROLACC Geneva awarded at the Palace of Nations in Geneva a series of anti-corruption awards to personalities who came from China, the United States, Jordan and Italy.[5]

Claiming that Qatar had "bought a prize against corruption," the newspaper Le Temps said that in return for this promotional event, Qatar had just funded renovation work at the United Nations Office in Geneva at a cost of 20 million Swiss Francs.[5]

Controversies

Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri is a relative of Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri, alias Abdul-Rahman al-Qatari, a Qatari citizen who admitted being an Al-Qaeda terrorist.[6][19]


According to journalists from the Daily Beast, Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri was "said to be a relative of the confessed terrorist". According to https://www.brennancenter.org/legal-work/ali-saleh-kahlah-al-marri, No evidence was presented to sustain these allegations, many of which appeared to have been gained through torture. [20]


Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri was arrested in December 2001 in Illinois by federal agents, detained as an "enemy combatant", and jailed in 2009 for 15 years by the US Justice Department, as he admitted being an operative of Al-Qaeda, of which he attended its training camps from 1998 to 2001. He reportedly met Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the September 11 attacks mastermind.[21]

Prior to his arrest by federal agents, Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri was preparing new attacks in the US, including with chemical weapons, the US Justice Department revealed.[19] Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri previously worked as a senior auditor for the government of Qatar and was "a key person" in the audit department of the Qatar Islamic Bank, where he worked for about 10 years.[6]

According to US media, the General Prosecutor of Qatar intervened via an intermediary (i.e. a "government contractor" and "close friend") to free his relative in exchange of a couple of US citizens arbitrarily detained in Qatar.[6] At his arrival in Doha, the Al-Qaeda member was welcomed by Qatari officials as "a hero".[6] A board member of Al-Jazeera wrote a celebratory message on his Twitter account.[22]

Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri's younger brother, Jarallah, also trained in an Al-Qaeda camp in Afghanistan, before being detained by the US as an "enemy combatant" at Guantanamo Bay, and later expelled to Qatar.[12]

According to a "confidential" US diplomatic cable, Qatar allowed Jarallah to travel abroad "despite explicit assurances that he would not be permitted to do so, and that the US Government would be notified if he attempted to".[7]

US diplomats wrote that Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri was "almost certainly party to the decision" and "failed to inform us despite numerous opportunities to do so". In retaliation, the US Ambassador in Doha recommended to issue a "strong message" to Qatar and cancel a meeting between Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri and the US Attorney General.[7]


Private mansion in Paris

In October 2013, Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri acquired for 9.6 million Euros a mansion located at 86 Avenue d'Iéna in Paris. The transaction was made in the name of the real estate company IENA 86. The capital of this company is divided into 100 shares, of which 98 are registered in the name of Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri, the last two being held by two of his sons, Hamad Ali, born in 2002, and Tameen Ali, born in 2013.[4][23]

This purchase raised questions. Emmanuel Razavi, French journalist interviewed by the newspaper Le Point, said that salaries in the Civil Service in Qatar rarely exceed 12,000 dollars per month.

ROLACC offices in Geneva

On November 10, 2015, the Swiss company GSG Immobilier SA acquired a property located at Route de Ferney 221, in the Geneva municipality of Grand-Saconnex, for the sum of 3'690'000 Swiss Francs. Registered on October 26, 2015 with a share capital of 100,000 Swiss Francs the company's shareholders are Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri (99%) and Maha Ali M. A. Fetais (1%), a student domiciled in Doha[11][4]

The building located on Route de Ferney 221 is home to the offices of ROLACC Geneva, the anti-corruption organisation founded and chaired by Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri.[17] This situation raised further concerns on ROLACC.

Villa in Cologny

On August 26, 2013, Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri acquired a villa located on Chemin de Bonnevaux 15, in the upscale district of Cologny in Geneva, for 7'050'000 Swiss Francs.[2]

Once again, the financial resources of the Attorney General of Qatar raised questions.

Kuwaiti bank accounts

According to Mediapart and the pan-Arab news website Al-Arabia, Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri's real estate company IENA 86, owner of the mansion in Paris, has bank accounts at the Paris branch of the National Bank of Kuwait.[17][23]

In addition, his Geneva-based company GSG Immobilier SA also has accounts in the Geneva branch of the Kuwaiti bank.

Corruption

According to French journalists Georges Malbrunot and Christian Chesnot, authors of the book Our Dear Emirs, the Attorney General of Qatar tried to "offer" a luxurious watch to Bruno Dalles, the Director of TRACFIN, the French financial intelligence agency, who was scandalized.[24][25]

Bruno Dalles told the reporters: "I was both vexed and stuck by the process, while I had just explained him the purpose of my job is to increase transparency in the movement of funds".[26]

Senegalese media have widely criticized the close ties between Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri and Karim Wade, Senegalese politician, sentenced for corruption who is now living in exile in Qatar.[27][28]

Swiss authorities suspect Qatar of corruption during the process of awarding the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[29]

Many voices are surprised by the absence of investigations led by the Attorney General, who is responsible for fighting corruption in his country.[17]

Human rights

As the Attorney General of Qatar, Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri is directly responsible for the controversial application of laws in violation of the Declaration of Human Rights. For instance, flogging is used to punish the consumption of alcohol.

According to Amnesty International, in 2012, at least six foreign nationals were sentenced to being whipped, 40 strokes or 100 strokes as appropriate.[30]

Homophobia

Homosexual relationships are condemned by the death penalty in Qatar, and by seven years of deprivation of liberty for non-Muslims.

As Attorney General, Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri is responsible for enforcing these convictions.

Workers' rights

Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri is also responsible for the implementation of labour legislations in the country. In 2014, the International Labour Office (ILO) filed a complaint against Qatar.[31]

The complaint pointed out that forced labour affects 1.5 million migrant workers in the Emirate.

"As soon as they begin looking for a job in Qatar, migrant workers are caught in the grip of a particularly abusive system that facilitates the use of forced labour by employers. Practices include replacing work contracts, asking migrants to pay a commission (which forces many to take large loans with high interest rates) and confiscating their passports". The situation remains critical.[32]

Honorary distinctions

Tunisia

Grand Officer of the Order of the Republic (2013).

gollark: Why do we *have* Thanatou#7320? They don't seem to do anything but say silly things in <#426116061415342080> constantly.
gollark: That is VERY unfair to potatoes.
gollark: I mostly use them as a very convoluted job queue and bookmarking system.
gollark: Hmm, I assume you have the interview nowish.
gollark: Wow, that's more than my 667, and no you shouldn't.

References
  1. moatez.chaouachi. "Procureur général du Qatar renommé défenseur de la lutte contre la corruption de l'ONUDC dans la région MENA". www.unodc.org. Retrieved 2018-06-10.
  2. News, Gulf (2018-03-01). "The mysterious fortune of Qatar's anti-corruption chief". GulfNews. Retrieved 2018-06-10.
  3. "ROLACC l Lutte Corruption Genève". ROLACC (in French). Retrieved 2018-06-10.
  4. Hamel, Ian (2018-02-26). "Le Monsieur Anticorruption du Qatar et son hôtel particulier". Le Point (in French). Retrieved 2018-06-10.
  5. "Le Qatar s'offre un prix contre la corruption". Le Temps (in French). Retrieved 2018-06-10.
  6. Harris, James Kirchick|Shane (2015-01-26). "Exclusive: Freed Al Qaeda Agent Was Part of Proposed Swap for Jailed Americans". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2018-09-24.
  7. WikiLeaks (26 February 2009). "Responding to Goq on Travel of Qatari Former Guantanamo Detainee Jarallah Al-Marri". WikiLeaks.
  8. "علي بن فطيس المري". Retrieved 2018-06-10.
  9. Beau, Nicolas; Bourget, Jacques-Marie (2013). Le vilain petit Qatar: cet ami qui nous veut du mal (in French). Fayard. ISBN 9782213671284.
  10. "CV" (PDF).
  11. "Registre du Commerce du Canton de Genève". ge.ch. Retrieved 2018-06-10.
  12. Schmidt, Susan (2007-07-20). "Trail of an 'Enemy Combatant': From Desert to U.S. Heartland". ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2018-09-24.
  13. "International Court of Justice" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-08-15.
  14. "International Law Commission". legal.un.org. Retrieved 2018-06-10.
  15. "UNODC" (PDF).
  16. moatez.chaouachi. "Procureur général du Qatar renommé défenseur de la lutte contre la corruption de l'ONUDC dans la région MENA". www.unodc.org. Retrieved 2018-06-10.
  17. Qatar, Observateur indépendant du. "Corruption: les biens mal acquis du procureur général qatari Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri". Mediapart (in French). Retrieved 2018-06-10.
  18. "Le Monsieur Anticorruption du Qatar et son hôtel particulier - Boursorama". www.boursorama.com (in French). Retrieved 2018-06-10.
  19. "Ali Al-Marri Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Provide Material Support to Al-Qaeda". 2009-04-30. Retrieved 2018-09-24.
  20. Kirchick, Shane Harris|James (2015-01-26). "Exclusive: Freed Al Qaeda Agent Was Part of Proposed Swap for Jailed Americans". Retrieved 2019-08-31.
  21. Schwartz, John. "Agent for Al Qaeda Is Sentenced to Prison". Retrieved 2018-09-24.
  22. "إلهام بدر#آل_قطر on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2018-09-24.
  23. "Le Point raises doubts over Qatari attorney-general's wealth". english.alarabiya.net. Retrieved 2018-06-10.
  24. "Michel LAFON - Nos très chers émirs, Christian Chesnot, Georges Malbrunot". www.michel-lafon.fr. Retrieved 2019-01-12.
  25. Qatar, Observateur indépendant du. "Le Monsieur Anti-Corruption du Qatar a-t-il cherché à corrompre le patron de TRACFIN?". Mediapart (in French). Retrieved 2019-01-12.
  26. "Nos très chers émirs". webcache.googleusercontent.com. Retrieved 2019-01-12.
  27. Tine, Modou Mamoune. "Relation entre Karim Wade et le procureur du Qatar : Mediapart fait son enquête et révèle !". SeneNews.com (in French). Retrieved 2019-01-12.
  28. Baya, Daouda. "Retour de Karim Wade: Les révélations de Médiapart | Dakar7.com" (in French). Retrieved 2019-01-12.
  29. "Football: le Qatar dans le collimateur de la justice suisse". Bilan (in French). Retrieved 2018-06-10.
  30. "Qatar | Amnesty International". www.amnesty.org. Retrieved 2018-06-10.
  31. "ILO" (PDF).
  32. "Qatar 2017/2018". www.amnesty.org (in French). Retrieved 2018-06-10.


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