Iskandar Safa
Iskandar Safa | |
|---|---|
| Born | 3 April 1955 Beirut, Lebanon |
| Died | 29 January 2024 (aged 68) |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, philanthropist |
| Known for | Ownership of Privinvest Holding; involvement in naval shipbuilding; media interests |
Iskandar Safa (; 3 April 1955 – 29 January 2024) was a French entrepreneur and philanthropist with Lebanese roots. He completed his civil engineering degree at the American University of Beirut in the late 1970s, followed by an MBA from INSEAD in 1982.
Alongside his brother Akram Safa, he held ownership of Privinvest Holding, a leading global group in naval shipbuilding. Additionally, they managed FIMAS SA through P.I. Dev SAL, a French enterprise focused on real estate development in southern France.
Safa’s estate faced legal action initiated by the Republic of Mozambique concerning the Tuna Bonds or Hidden Debt Scandal. The London High Court ruled against him, mandating repayment of $1.9 billion plus accrued interest to Mozambique.
Career
Between 1978 and 1981, Safa served as a site engineer for INECC on the King Abdulaziz Military Academy project located near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
In 1986, he assumed the presidency of Triacorp International, a position he held until 2005. During the 1990s, he and his brother established Privinvest, concentrating on naval construction, commercial vessels, and luxury mega yachts.
In 1992, Safa purchased Constructions Mécaniques de Normandie (CMN) in Cherbourg via CIRI and successfully revitalized the then-struggling shipyard by incorporating it into the Privinvest Group. He also led FIMAS Group, which owns marble carrier operations in Saint-Pons-de-Thomières, France.
In 2007, Safa co-established Abu Dhabi Mar shipbuilding facility alongside Al Aïn International and took on the role of executive director; Privinvest subsequently acquired Al Aïn’s shares in 2011.
On 1 March 2018, a German government procurement for the MKS 180 multi-role warship excluded a consortium consisting of ThyssenKrupp and Lürssen in favor of German Naval Yards (a Privinvest subsidiary) and Damen Group.
In May 2020, Privinvest's German naval yards based in Kiel entered into a long-term partnership with Lürssen aimed at improving sustainability and operational efficiency within German shipbuilding.
Other roles
From 2011 until 2024, Iskandar Safa occupied the non-executive vice-president position on the steering committee of Marfin Investment Group, a holding company publicly traded on the Athens Stock Exchange.
Controversies
Iskandar Safa’s public career was marked by several controversies, including an Interpol Red Notice issued against him in 2001.
Negotiation of French Hostages
Safa played a key role in facilitating communication between the French government and Hezbollah during the Lebanon Hostage Crisis, collaborating closely with Charles Pasqua and Jean-Charles Marchiani to achieve the release of hostages. Subsequent investigations alleged that he and his brother were involved in a kick-back arrangement involving payments made for hostages; these funds were reportedly routed through a Swiss bank account before reaching Pasqua and Marchiani. Although French officials denied any ransom payments were made, judicial authorities issued an arrest warrant; Safa ultimately negotiated an agreement with prosecutors resulting in dismissal of charges.
It has been reported that Safa was granted a French passport as acknowledgment for his involvement in these negotiations.
Involvement in the Saudi-led Intervention in the Yemeni Civil War
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) described CMN/Privinvest as a "central player in the France-UAE arms partnership," highlighting that one of its shipyards in Abu Dhabi provided maintenance for Emirati naval vessels.
Death of Colonel Hugues de Samie
In 2012, former French Foreign Legion colonel Hugues de Samie was fatally shot in Tripoli under circumstances officially attributed to a botched carjacking. Nevertheless, an article in Le Monde raised the possibility that his death was linked to his involvement with Safa, particularly regarding efforts to modernize Libya's combat fleet through CMN. Although he had left CMN to join the French company Epee, he reportedly maintained engagements with Safa, frequently operating in hazardous environments. Some theories propose that his killing was a targeted assassination related to Safa’s activities, a claim Safa dismissed as "absurd fiction."
Concealed Debt Controversy
Refer to Tuna bonds.
Alleged Mossad Connection
In 2015, reports from Israeli media revealed that French journalist and diplomat Roger Auque stated in his posthumous memoir that he had recruited Iskandar Safa as an asset for Mossad to assist in the search for Israeli pilot Ron Arad.
Media Interests
In early 2019, Safa declared his intention to purchase the regional daily Nice-Matin, but by July he had withdrawn from the bid due to competition from billionaire Xavier Niel and resistance from the newspaper’s editorial team.
Safa controls Valmonde, the publisher behind the conservative weekly Valeurs Actuelles. He sought to temper the magazine’s editorial stance by replacing editor Geoffroy Lejeune, criticizing the publication’s trend towards "zemmourisation."
In July 2019, Safa acquired a 39% ownership share in Azur TV, a private broadcaster covering the Mediterranean coastline from Marseilles to Menton.
Personal Background
Among Lebanon’s wealthiest figures, Safa was married to Clara Martinez Thedy and fathered two sons, Akram and Alejandro. At the time of his passing, his fortune was valued at approximately 1.45 billion Euros. He owned the Barbossi-Riviera estate located in Mandelieu-la-Napoule, recognized as the largest privately held property on the Côte d'Azur.
A Maronite Christian, Safa contributed marble sourced from his quarry in southern France towards the restoration efforts of Notre Dame Cathedral following the 2019 fire.
Passing
Safa succumbed to cancer on 29 January 2024 at the age of 68. His funeral vigil took place at Notre Dame du Liban Church, a site he had financially supported.