Turki bin Nasser Al Saud

Turki bin Nasser Al Saud (14 April 1948 – 30 January 2021) was a Saudi military officer, who served as the head of the presidency of meteorology and environment as well as state minister for environmental issues in Saudi Arabia and a member of the House of Saud.

Turki bin Nasser Al Saud
State Minister for Environmental Issues
In office2001 – 18 August 2013
SuccessorAbdulaziz bin Omar Al Jaser
Born(1948-04-14)14 April 1948
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Died30 January 2021(2021-01-30) (aged 72)
Burial31 January 2021
Riyadh
SpouseNoura bint Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Full name
Turki bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud
HouseHouse of Saud
FatherNasser bin Abdulaziz
MotherMuhdi bint Ahmed Al Sudairi

Early life and education

Turki bin Nasser was born in Riyadh on 14 April 1948.[1][2] He was the seventh son of Nasser bin Abdulaziz,[2] who had been excluded from succession due to "dissolute" mores.[3] His mother was Muhdi bint Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Sudairi.[4] Turki's mother was the aunt of the Sudairi brothers.[4]

Turki bin Nasser held a bachelor degree and a master's degree in political science, both from the US War College.[2] Furthermore, he received various military courses in the United States and the United Kingdom and also, participated in six sessions of aviation courses in Saudi Arabia.[1]

Career

Turki bin Nasser was assigned as flying officer with the rank of lieutenant at King Abdulaziz Air Base in Eastern Province[2] in 1966. He became acting commander at the Transitional Training Unit in 1975. He then served as a commander from 1976 to 1984 at three different units; namely, Thirteen Squadron (1976), 3rd Flying Wing (1978) and King Abdulaziz Air Base in the Eastern Region (1984).[1] From 1989 to 1994 he served as Al Yamamah project officer. Next, he became chief of air staff operations, peace shield project and peace hawk project in 1994.[1] Prince Turki began to serve as deputy commander at the Royal Saudi Air Force in 1996 and became a commander with the rank of general at the Force.[5]

It is argued by the U.S. diplomatic documents that Turki bin Nasser did not try to hide his business activities when serving as a military officer and that Prince Mansour bin Bandar Al Saud was one of his business partners.[6] After leaving air force King Fahd appointed Turki bin Nasser as the head of the presidency of meteorology and environment,[2] responsible for the protection of the environment and the conservation and development of natural resources in Saudi Arabia.[7] He was also appointed special advisor to Prince Sultan in 2000.[1] In 2001 Turki bin Nasser was made state minister for environmental affairs.[2]

Prince Turki was also the chairman of the Saudi environmental society.[8] He was the chairman of the board of directors of the Saudi charity association for autism in Jeddah. A new center, Prince Nasser bin Abdulaziz Center for autism, affiliated to Saudi charity association for autism, was opened in Riyadh in April 2012.[9]

On 18 August 2013, a royal order was issued by King Abdullah to appoint Abdulaziz Al Jaser as head of presidency of meteorology and environment,[10] replacing Prince Turki bin Nasser in the post.[11]

Wealth

It is reported by The Guardian that Turki bin Nasser owned nearly 200 classic cars, a £20m private Boeing business jet, a large yacht; Sarah, and a mansion in Beverly Hills which he intended to sell in June 2020,[12] and several houses in different cities such as Barcelona, Riyadh, Dhahran and London.[13] His London home was in Sussex Square near Hyde Park.[14]

Membership

Turki bin Nasser was Godfather of Al Qadsieh Saudi club. He became an honorary member of Al Nasr Saudi club in 2008, and he resigned from the post in 2016.[2] He was the chief executive officer of the Council of Arab Ministers, responsible for environment.[1][15] He was also a member of the board of governors of the Saudi Wildlife Commission.[16]

Controversy
See also: Al-Yamamah arms deal

It was reported that Turki bin Nasser had allegedly received most from BAE's £60 m slush fund. It was further stated that he received at least £1 bn through an anonymous offshore company, Poseidon that was linked to Lebanese politician Mohammad Safadi who has been finance minister of Lebanon since June 2011.[17] His name was linked with allegations of under-the-counter commission deals in the £50 bn al Yamamah contracts, which began under the administration of Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s.[18] Therefore, he became the center of the investigation carried out by the United Kingdom's Serious Fraud Office in 2005.[19]

Gardiner, the owner of a travel agency meeting the needs of BAE and its Saudi customers, declared that he had disbursed the money and much of it went to Turki bin Nasser, then-head of the Saudi Air Force and a major BAE customer. Other funds were also used indirectly for him, specifically for the honeymoon of Bandar bin Sultan’s daughter, Reema bint Bandar,[20] who was formerly married to Prince Turki's son Faisal bin Turki. It is further argued that Prince Turki's daughter was given a wedding video whose production cost BAE almost 200,000 pounds.[19] One of the other allegations was that the wife of Prince Turki bin Nasser, Noura bint Sultan, was alleged to have received a 170,000 pound Rolls-Royce as a birthday present, flown out to Saudi Arabia in a cargo plane chartered by BAE.[19][21] Another was about the arrangement of a 2 million pound three-month holiday for him and his family.[19]

Turki bin Nasser was also mentioned in the Panama Papers due to his relation to HoneyBee Assets Limited.[22]

Arrest
Main article: 2017 Saudi Arabian purge

On 4 November 2017, Turki bin Nasser Al Saud was arrested in a corruption crackdown conducted by a newly established royal anti-corruption committee.[23][24] In January 2018 he was released.[25]

Personal life and death

Turki bin Nasser married Noura bint Sultan (born 1948), the daughter of Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz.[14][26] He had two sons and five daughters with Noura.[1] Turki bin Nasser also had five other sons.[2] His eldest son is Faisal bin Turki.[2]

His daughter, Areej bint Turki, opened an iCafe, Areej art cafe, in Riyadh in late May 2012.[27]

Turki bin Nasser died on 30 January 2021.[28][29] Funeral prayers were performed in Riyadh on 31 January.[29]

Honors and awards

Turki bin Nasser was awarded various national and international honors and awards, including the Order of Abdulaziz Al Saud (First class), Kuwait Liberation Medal, the Pakistani Military Excellence Star Decoration, Order of Merit of the American Commander Rank (Medal of Merit),[2] National Order of Merit (Commander rank)[2] and the French Medal of Honor (Cavalryman rank).[1]

References
  1. "His Royal Highness Prince Turki bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al Saud". Saudi Environmental Society. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  2. "Bin Nasser profile: the man at the top of Saudi's corruption list". Egypt Independent. Al Masry Al Youm. 6 November 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  3. Nabil Mouline (April–June 2012). "Power and generational transition in Saudi Arabia" (PDF). Critique Internationale. 46: 1–22.
  4. Joseph A. Kechichian (3 August 2001). Succession In Saudi Arabia. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 283. ISBN 978-0-312-29962-0.
  5. "Deputy Secretary Hamre escorts Gen. Turki bin Nasser through an honor cordon into the Pentagon". US Department of Defense. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  6. "The role of Saudi princes in uniform". Wikileaks. 27 May 1985. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  7. "H.R.H. Prince Turki bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al Saud". Environmental Infrastructure Forum. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  8. "Message from Turki bin Nasser" (PDF). Gulf Environment Forum. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  9. "Prince Salman to open Prince Nasser bin Abdulaziz Center for Autism". Saudi Press Agency (SPA). 16 April 2012. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  10. "كلمة معالي الدكتور عبد العزيز بن عمر الجاسر الرئيس العام للأرصاد وحماية البيئة". Meteorology and Environment Society. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
  11. "الجاسر رئيساً عاماً للأرصاد وحماية البيئة وابن فويّز مستشاراً بإمارة الرياض". Al Riyadh. 18 August 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
  12. Morgan Brennan (15 August 2013). "Inside North Beverly Park, Beverly Hills' Mansion-Packed Billionaire Community". Forbes. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  13. James McClain (14 June 2020). "Saudi Prince Asks $40 Million for 39-Bathroom Beverly Park Compound". Variety. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  14. "Prince Turki: The man with everything". The Guardian. 4 May 2004. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  15. "Board of Trustees (2006–2008)". CEDARE. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  16. "Board of Governors". Saudi Wildlife Commission. Archived from the original on 30 June 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  17. "BAE files". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  18. David Leigh; Rob Evans (7 June 2007). "Prince Turki bin Nasser". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  19. David Isenberg (6 October 2005). "Scandal sours Saudi arms deal". Asia Times Online. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
  20. Nelson D. Schwartz; Lowell Bergman (25 November 2007). "Payload: Taking Aim at Corporate Bribery". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
  21. "Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud". APS Review Oil Market Trends. 24 October 2005. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
  22. "HRH Prince Turki bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al Saud". Offshore Leaks Database. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  23. "Saudi Arabia princes detained, ministers dismissed". Al Jazeera.
  24. Stephen Kalin; Katie Paul (5 November 2017). "Future Saudi king tightens grip on power with arrests including Prince Alwaleed". Reuters. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  25. "Shares of Saudi prince's firm surge after his release". Middle East Eye. 28 January 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  26. Sabri Sharif (2001). The House of Saud in Commerce: A Study of Royal Entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia. New Delhi: I. S. Publications. ISBN 81-901254-0-0.
  27. "Areej Art Cafe opens in Riyadh". Arab News. 29 May 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  28. وفاة الأمير تركي بن ناصر بن عبدالعزيز آل سعود Ajel. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  29. "Saudi Arabia announces death of Prince Turki bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al Saud". Arab News. 31 January 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
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