Former Qatar Airways chairman sentenced to 20 years for money laundering

Ali Sharif Al-Emadi, former chairman of Qatar Airways and ex-finance minister of Qatar, has been given a 20-year prison sentence for money laundering.

The charges involve more than $5.6 billion, according to Reuters.

Ali Sharif Al-Emadi has also received a hefty fine related to the multiple charges against him.

As Ch-aviation previously reported, Al-Emadi, now 55, was arrested in May 2021 when he was one of the most influential business executives in the Middle East.

According to reports at the time, the investigation was related only to his activities as finance minister and not his other roles. 

He was minister from 2013 until his arrest and simultaneously headed the state-owned airline.

A criminal court has now issued its sentence and fined Al-Emadi a total of QAR61 billion rials ($16.8 billion), triple the sum he allegedly laundered.

He was convicted on charges of bribery, abuse of power, and damage to public funds in addition to money laundering, but the document did not specify further details.

He can appeal against the conviction, which the court issued on January 10 and Reuters reported on January 17.

The court also found Nawaf bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani, a member of Qatar's ruling family, guilty of misusing public funds, sentencing him to six years behind bars.

Fourteen other individuals also received sentences, which has stunned the country's financial establishment. 

A lawyer representing one of the defendants confirmed the contents of the court document that Reuters saw.