Sakher El Materi

Sakher El Materi (Mohamed Sakhr El Materi, Arabic: محمد صخر الماطري‎) is a Tunisian businessman. He is the son-in-law of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the former president of Tunisia.^[1]

As of May 2010, his company Princesse El-Materi Holdings - El Materi runs businesses in six industry sectors: News and Media, Banking and Financial Services, Automotive, Shipping and Cruises, Real Estate and Agriculture.^[2]

A former member of the ruling Constitutional Democratic Rally, he was elected as a Member of the Chamber of Deputies of Tunisia for the constituency of Tunis on 25 October 2009^[3] and struck off by the party after the Tunisian Revolution.^[4]

Biography

Born in 1980, Sakher El Materi is the nephew of Mahmoud El Materi, who in 1927 was one of the first Muslim graduates from the Faculty of Medicine of Paris. Dr. El Materi was also a major figure in the fight against the French occupation, and the founder, with Habib Bourguiba, of the Neo Destour political party, the ancestor to the ruling Constitutional Democratic Rally (CDR).^[3][5]

In 1973 Moncef El Materi, Sakher’s father, joined his brother Tahar to create El ADWYA, today the largest private pharmaceutical company in the country. They continued to open many other companies in the agricultural industry sector.^[3]

After studying a Higher Technician Certificate of Business Administration ^[6] in Brussels, Sakher joined his father’s company ADWYA. Shortly afterwards he married Nesrine the youngest daughter of former Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

In 2005, he led a controversial business agreement with the company Nestlé in Tunisia.^{[3][7][8][9][10]}

The Tunisian Revolution in early 2011 pushed out the President of Tunisia and all his family members. Interpol issued a global alert to arrest Ben Ali and his relatives, including Sakher.^[11][12]

Politics

In the summer of 2008, he entered the Central Committee of the Democratic Constitutional Rally. On 25 October 2009, he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies and stricked off by the party after the Tunisian Revolution.^[4]

In a 2009 diplomatic cable from the United States Ambassador Robert Godec that was leaked by WikiLeaks during the United States diplomatic cables leak, the diplomat opined that El Materi and Nesrine and other members of Ben Ali's family are disliked and even hated by some Tunisians for their perceived lavish lifestyle.^[1]

Some reports^[who?]in the The Canadian Press described him as "one of the most powerful members of Tunisia's ruling class",^[13] and before Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the former president of Tunisia and Materi's father in law, left Tunisia after the 2010–2011 Tunisian protests, Materi was considered by some to have been a possible successor of Ali as president of Tunisia.^[13]

In January 2011 after the 2010-2011 Tunisian protests it was mistakenly reported that Sakher was going to a house it was believed he owned in Montreal, Canada, a group of people critical of his father in law's regime in Tunisia then gathered outside the property. Sakher had sold the property some time before and was not going there at all.^[13][14]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Lister, Tim (15 January 2011). "Tunisian protests fueled by social media networks". CNN. http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/01/12/tunisia/. Retrieved 15 January 2011. 
2. ^ http://www.princesse-elmateri.com/
3. ^ ^{a b c d} http://www.sakher-el-materi.com/
4. ^ ^{a b} Daoud, Arezki (15 January 2011). "Tunisian People Fixated on Sakhr El Materi, Imad Trabelsi and First Lady Leila Ben Ali". The North Africa Journal. http://www.north-africa.com/naj_news/4janseventeen46.html. Retrieved 25 January 2011. 
5. ^ http://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2009/10/24/le-parcours-fulgurant-de-sakhr-el-materi-gendre-du-president-tunisien-ben-ali_1258326_3212.html
6. ^ (French) Florence Beaugé, « Le parcours fulgurant de Sakhr El-Materi, gendre du président tunisien Ben Ali », Le Monde, 24 octobre 2009
7. ^ http://www.kapitalis.com/kapital/35-entreprise/2613-tunisie-comment-sakher-el-materi-a-gruge-nestle-sa-.html
8. ^ http://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2011/02/01/les-belles-adresses-des-ben-ali_1473479_3212.html
9. ^ http://worldradio.ch/wrs/news/switzerland/nestls-secret-dealings-with-tunisias-ruling-family.shtml?23064
10. ^ http://www.direttanews.it/2011/02/08/nuovo-scandalo-per-l%E2%80%99ex-presidente-della-tunisia-ben-ali-%E2%80%9Cvittime%E2%80%9D-la-nestle-e-i-cittadini-tunisini/
11. ^ http://www.tap.info.tn/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=14412&Itemid=27
12. ^ http://dna-algerie.com/component/content/article/34-politique/1221-tunis-et-interpol-lancent-un-mandat-darret-international-contre-ben-ali-et-son-epouse-leila.html
13. ^ ^{a b c} "Tunisian politician denies fleeing to Montreal". The Canadian Press. 13 January 2011. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2011/01/13/el-materi-montreal.html. Retrieved 16 January 2011. 
14. ^ Bruemmer, René (18 January 2011). "'Stop protesting outside my house'". The Gazette. http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Stop+protesting+outside+house/4128285/story.html. Retrieved 25 January 2011. 

External links

• Sakher El Materi Official Website
• Princess Holdings El Materi Official Website

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Name	El Materi, Sakher
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