Lebanon’s Prime Minister Rafik Hariri has been ranked 108th on Forbes' annual list of the World's Richest People. Hariri is said to have a net worth of $4.3 billion.
The magazine compiled 538 billionaires from 46 countries this year, with an average net worth of $3.2 billion. Some 46 percent of the wealthy saw their fortunes increase in the last year, while 37 percent watched them decline.
Hariri is a renowned businessman with investments in Saudi Arabia, France and the United States. He began his career in Saudi Arabia and eventually established his own construction firm, Saudi Oger. He became the personal contractor for Prince Fahd, now king of Saudi Arabia, amassing a fortune.
Hariri has long been well regarded among international leaders, counting French leader Jaques Chirac as a close friend. When he returned from Saudi Arabia in 1992 as the country's prime minister, Hariri built his business interests in Lebanon to include a vast media empire. He also owns more than two million square feet of prime office space in Houston, Texas.
According to Forbes, rumors have been circulating regarding Hariri's plan to build a vacation home on his 16-acre Phillips mansion property in Washington DC. The Prime Minister's spokesman has already denied that such a project is in the works. — (menareport.com)
© 2004 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
