Canada has purchased three more aircraft from a company controlled by the Saudi royal family, Anita Anand announced last week in one of her final acts as defence minister.
The three used A330-200 aircraft were bought for US$150 million, Anand’s office announced in a press release on July 25. Canada bought two other aircraft from the same company—International AirFinance Corporation (IAFC)—last summer.
The planes will replace the Royal Canadian Armed Forces’ fleet of CC-150 Polaris aircraft. The new fleet, which includes four additional aircraft supplied by Airbus, will be used to transport the prime minister and governor general, among other uses.
IAFC, which is based in Dubai, is reported to be an investment front for the Saudi royal family, controlled through a complex maze of ownership and influence. The aircraft in question were previously being leased to Kuwait Airways.
Canada needs the planes, Anand argued, because dictatorial states pose a threat to the world.
“As autocratic regimes threaten the rules-based international order, there is a pressing need to modernize the capabilities of the Royal Canadian Air Force in support of North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO] and North American Aerospace Defense Command [NORAD] operations,” she was quoted as saying last week.
Former Minister of National Defence Anita Anand greets members of the Canadian Armed Forces providing aid to Ukraine. Credit: Anita Anand/Twitter
The government’s announcements have not mentioned the connection between IAFC and the Saudi royals.
‘One of the world’s worst human rights abusers’
“I’m absolutely enraged,” NDP MP Heather McPherson, who is the party’s critic for foreign affairs, told The Breach in a phone interview Tuesday.
“This is a regime that murdered a journalist with a saw,” she said, referencing the 2018 killing of Jamal Khashoggi, which U.S. intelligence agencies have said was approved by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
“The government continues to find justifications to financially support a country that victimizes its own citizens, that doesn’t respect human rights…that doesn’t respect the rights of women,” McPherson said.
“We need to [take] a stand. We should not be doing anything that benefits regimes that are a detriment to their own people,” she said, calling Saudi Arabia “one of the world’s worst human rights abusers.”
Canada continues to do billions of dollars worth of business with Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom represses criticism by throwing dissidents and human rights activists in jail and led the coalition that waged a one-sided war in Yemen, leading to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people.
The Breach recently revealed that Canada provided the Saudis with armoured vehicles of the same make later seen operating in Yemen. Another investigation by The Breach recently found that Canada’s undisclosed motives for arming the Kingdom include access to oil and opportunities for Canadian corporations.
A spokesperson for the Department of National Defence told The Breach by email that questions about the new planes would best be answered by Public Services and Procurement Canada. That department provided a written statement that did not address the substance of The Breach’s questions.
Saudi prince brothers control IAFC through a complex maze
IAFC is registered in the Cayman Islands and doesn’t disclose its ownership, but according to reports in the Wall Street Journal and the trade publication Intelligence Online, the company shares its executive and staff with Quantum, a Dubai-based bank that is owned by Tharawat.
Tharawat is central to the Saudi royal family’s business dealings. It is wholly owned by Turki bin Salman, the younger brother of the crown prince, who oversees a sprawling and secretive business empire.
The Wall Street Journal has reported that “in practice, Prince Mohammed controls and benefits from Tharawat’s business.”
Tharawat has investments in real estate, tech, agriculture, military materials and organ transplants. According to Intelligence Online, it is suspected of profiting from defence contracts linked to the Saudi war on Yemen.
Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud is photographed at a document signing ceremony. In 2021, U.S. intelligence agencies concluded the crown prince had approved the murder of American journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Credit: Wiki Commons
Saudi prince also linked to second company involved in Canadian deal
Tharawat acquired its stake in Quantum in 2014, just two months before the creation of IAFC.
A signing ceremony formalizing the company’s new jet-leasing role and a relationship to European plane giant Airbus was held in London in June 2014 and was hosted by Turki bin Salman.
Airbus is also heavily involved in Canada’s project to modernize its air force. For a total price of $3.6 billion, Airbus will convert the used aircraft from IAFC and provide Canada with four new aircraft.
“It’s about getting to the bottom of things. It’s about unveiling who has the power and what they’re doing with that power.”
Linda McQuaig, journalist and author
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