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---
tags: ["Person", "Financier", "BCCI"]
---
Ghaith R. Pharaon was a flamboyant [[Bank of Credit and Commerce International|BCCI]] front man and a [[Saudia Arabia|Saudi]] financier.[^1] He acquired [[Georgia National Bank]] and [[Independence Bank of Encino]], and was a shareholder in [[Attock Oil]], BCCI, and [[CenTrust Savings Bank]].[^2]
### Business Ventures and BCCI Involvement
Pharaon launched himself into the construction business in [[Saudi Arabia]] in 1965, founding [[Saudi Arabian Research and Development Corporation]] (REDEC). REDEC grew to have revenues exceeding $1 billion and employed 17,000 people by 1979.[^3] Pharaon owned pharmaceutical companies, steel-fabricating plants, and water-bottling plants, and was involved in joint ventures with companies like South Korean [[Daelim]] and [[Ralph M. Parsons]] Company.[^4]
Pharaon was recruited by [[Agha Hasan Abedi]] and used as a front for BCCI to acquire entities that were difficult for BCCI to obtain directly, including the National Bank of Georgia and Independence Bank.[^5] He was listed as BCCI's single largest shareholder by 1985, holding 16 percent of the company, though this was a sham achieved through Abedi's circular loan scheme.[^6]
He was involved in the sham purchase of CenTrust debentures, acting as a front for BCCI, which allowed CenTrust to remain open longer, costing U.S. taxpayers an estimated $2 billion.[^7] Pharaon and Abedi also teamed up to purchase Hercules, Inc., a munitions manufacturer.[^8]
### Political Connections and Legal Issues
Pharaon had extensive political connections, including with [[Jimmy Carter]], to whose charitable organizations he made donations.[^9] He was involved in lobbying efforts to keep CenTrust afloat, meeting with figures like [[M. Danny Wall]], then the nation's top thrift regulator.[^10]
Pharaon was indicted by the [[Justice Department]] in 1992 for his role in the bond-swap conspiracy related to CenTrust and the secret ownership of [[Independence Bank of Encino]].[^11] He is described as fleeing from several indictments in the United States and is under investigation in [[Argentina]].[^12]
## Footnotes
[^1]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 11.
[^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. 11.
[^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. 205.
[^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. 205.
[^5]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 43.
[^6]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 211.
[^7]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 220.
[^8]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 220.
[^9]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 202.
[^10]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 85.
[^11]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 221.
[^12]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 394.