LIV Golf boss' $74M lawsuit for 'destroying' intelligence family another red flag for golf's future

19/01/2024 13:30

Yasir Al-Rumayyan, who leads the Saudi PIF, faces a $74 million lawsuit for allegedly harming the family of a former Saudi intelligence member.

As talks progress between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) over the future of professional golf, red flags continue to wave in the prevailing wind.

Anyone who has followed this saga knows all about Saudi Arabia's terrible human rights record, its history of subjugating women and LBGTQ individuals, and how the Kingdom dismembered Washington Post journalist—and Saudi dissident—Jamal Khashoggi.

On top of that, 15 of the 19 hijackers in the 9/11 attacks were Saudi citizens, which explains why 9/11 families have vehemently protested against LIV Golf. Those same 9/11 families also voiced their disapproval in Senate hearings.

But a new development has arisen, thanks to a bombshell report from Adam Crafton of The Athletic.

Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the Governor of the PIF who bankrolls LIV Golf, faces a $74 million lawsuit in Canadian court. He allegedly carried "out the instructions" from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman to harm, silence, and ultimately destroy the family of Saudi Arabia's former intelligence chief, Dr. Saad Aljabri.

Here are more details about Aljabri, courtesy of The Athletic report:

Aljabri, who holds a doctorate in computer science, has been credited by several Western intelligence officials for his work as a Saudi informant to Five Eyes (U.S., UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand) intelligence agencies. Michael Morrell, the former acting director of the CIA, told CBS that Aljabri is "honorable" and added that he had "absolutely saved American lives." He provided the example of an attempted attack by the terrorist organization al-Qaeda in 2010 when bombs were hidden in two desktop printers and due to be transported on two flights to the U.S. Morrell said that intelligence passed on by Aljabri ensured the explosives were defused during a layover at East Midlands airport in England.

Clearly, Aljabri, who has lived in exile in Canada since 2017, saved hundreds of lives during his career. He also helped build valuable counterterrorism intelligence for the West, according to The Washington Post.

Aljabri rose to prominence in Saudi Arabia thanks to his close relationship with Mohammed bin Nayef, the former Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. Bin Nayef had one of the strongest anti-terrorism policies of any leader in the Middle East and assisted the U.S. in its 'War on Terror.'

Then, in 2017, bin Nayef was disposed of his power, thus paving the way for bin Salman to seize control of the Kingdom. The two men have since become chief rivals, which explains why bin Nayef has been held in Saudi prison since August 2020.

So this dynamic helps understand why Aljabri fled his home country.

And yet, bin Salman still wanted to invoke harm on the former Saudi intelligence official, regardless of where he was in the world. Al-Rumayyan, per the report and the lawsuit, assisted in this plot.

Here is further detail about al-Rumayyan's involvement:

[Aljabri's family's] proposed case against Al-Rumayyan accuses [him and others] of "direct" involvement in a litany of allegations. These include taking steps to orchestrate an alleged campaign which include "wrongful kidnapping and detention", "misappropriation of property" and the "expropriation" of companies worth hundreds of millions of dollars into PIF hands. These steps, the papers allege, were taken for "political reasons" and at the service of the Saudi Crown Prince, MBS.

These allegations became public knowledge on Tuesday, the same day Josh Carpenter of Sports Business Journal reported that PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan traveled to Saudi Arabia to meet with Al-Rumayyan this week "to hammer out a deal."

Talk about great timing. Or ironic.

But as time goes on, more and more people within golf have come around to accept LIV Golf and the PIF's investment into the sport. That also means they have accepted the fact that a foreign sovereign wealth fund will infiltrate its resources into an American sports league for the first time.

"My dream scenario is a world tour, with the proviso that corporate America has to remain a big part of it all. Saudi Arabia, too. That's just basic economics. But there is an untapped commercial opportunity out there. Investors always want to make a return on their money," said Rory McIlroy, a former LIV Golf dissident who has since accepted the Saudi-backed circuit's place within the game.

"Revenues at the PGA Tour right now are about $2.3 billion. So, how do we get that number up to four or six? To me, it is by looking outward. They need to think internationally and spread their wings a bit. I've been banging that drum for a while."

The PIF has more than $700 billion in assets and has invested north of $1 billion into LIV Golf's launch. The fund has also invested heavily in numerous Fortune 500 companies, like Uber and Twitter, and recently acquired a stake in London's Heathrow Airport, per The Times.

From Saudi Arabia's perspective, they know that oil—their most important export—is a depreciating asset. So, they have felt obligated to diversify their economy through investments in everything from sports to aviation. And these moves have worked.

No wonder why bin Salman has said he will "continue to sportswash." This practice helps the Saudi economy while also improving its stature on the world stage.

Just think, five years ago, could you, a golf fan, imagine reading about Saudi Arabian politics?

I certainly could not.

Yet, here we are—proof that Saudi Arabia's sportswashing methods have paid off.

Simply, the Kingdom has too many coffers for the PGA Tour to compete with. Hence, Al-Rumayyan, Monahan, and DP World Tour Commissioner Keith Pelley announced a framework agreement last June to work towards a unified professional game.

But as talks progress towards a concrete deal this spring, we cannot ignore these big red flags that stare us in the face.

Yes, I have said before that this deal needs to get done for the future of golf. I still believe this to be true in light of Tuesday's development. But the collective we—meaning the entire golf world—need to tread lightly while also thinking critically, something that the Saudi Kingdom forbids its citizens to even do.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThroughfor more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.