The court heard Hamad was first involved in fundraising discussions with Barclays through his role as chairman of Qatar Holding, which would end up being a key investor in the bank’s 2008 capital raising. In one email read in court, Boath wrote to colleagues, including the Barclays lawyer Judith Shepherd, detailing a meeting he had with the Qataris’ head of legal, Ahmad al-Sayad. Sayad responded that Barclays “should find a way to finesse this in order to keep HE under the radar”. But Shepherd insisted in a call that there was a general obligation for fair disclosure – particularly given the sheik’s head position at Qatar Holding. Prosecutors have not accused Qatar, Hamad or his investment vehicle, of wrongdoing.

Source: The Guardian February 04, 2019 19:18 UTC