JORDAN BLUE LANTERN: VERIFYING BONA FIDES OF

S E C R E T AMMAN 000202 NOFORN SIPDIS STATE FOR PM/DTCC BLUE LANTERN COORDINATOR E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/19/2020 TAGS: ETTC KOMC JO SUBJECT: JORDAN BLUE LANTERN: VERIFYING BONA FIDES OF REGISTERED BROKER NANCY MOHAMMAD-NOUR H. QUANDOUR (CASE NUMBER K-2647) REF: A. A) WILSON-JOUBERT-LIN EMAIL NOV 09 ¶B. B) 09 STATE 99520 ¶C. C) 09AMMAN 2671 Classified By: DCM Lawrence Mandel for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. (SBU) Economic Section and Foreign Commercial Service (FCS) LESs conducted initial/preliminary database searches on the Dehab firm, as provided ref B, through Government of Jordan (Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT)) on-line records and found no pertinent information. However when the alternate spelling Dahab, revealed a company with which the Commercial Section is familiar. ¶2. (C) Blue Lantern Officer visited the offices of Dahab Corporation (application: Dehab) on 10 December 2009, accompanied by LES assistant, and met with Mr. Majd Abulzahb (AKA abu al-Zahab or abu Dahab),who identified himself as the Operations Manager. Note: The spelling of Abulzahb's name on his English-language business card was noted to be a very peculiar and non-typical transliteration of abu Dahab. End note. Initially evasive, Abulzahb eventually admitted that the registered owner, Ms. Nancy Quandour, was his mother. He said Quandour does not come to the office every day and it was unclear how involved she was in the actual day-to-day operations of the business, or if she normally worked from a different location (another address for the company is listed on business cards and on Dahabco's web-page). ¶3. (C) Abulzahb, personable, animated, and speaking excellent English, reported the firm has five employees, and had been in the business of "security safety consulting" since 2004. In a rambling, jargon-filled narrative, Abulzahb said the firm helps clients "identify and clarify" business needs, then assists them in obtaining required materials to meet those needs. He further stated that they do not participate directly in contract bids, and never take physical custody of any item; they merely help to identify solutions to problems, find sub-contractors, and act as freight forwarders to the actual end-user. Abulzahb claimed Dahabco only works with the Government of Jordan (GoJ),the UN, or NGOs, but would like to eventually obtain USG contracts. The company web-page mentions Dahabco's on-going interest in engaging in business in Iraq, however Abulzahb never mentioned Iraq in �0A;his discussions with Emboffs. He reported the company registered as brokers in order to obtain a contract to provide equipment items to the Jordanian police, but as yet that deal had not been completed. ¶4. (S/NF) LES staff reports that within Jordan the abu Dahab family is known to have a somewhat questionable reputation. Quandour's father, Mohammad Nour Quandour, and uncle, Noah Quandour (a top aide to former Jordanian Speaker of the Parliament, Abdul Hadi al-Majali) had been accused -- though never formally indicted -- of mismanagement of police and army contracts when they worked in the GoJ Public Security Directorate (national police force). Additionally, Ms. Quandour's husband (Abulzahb's father),Mamoun Abu al-Dahab, a Syrian by birth and naturalized Jordanian citizen, reportedly has several relatives who are connected to, or members of, the al-Ba'ath party in Syria. Finally, Abulzahb admitted -- reluctantly -- then tried to dismiss the fact that he is related by marriage to Amjad al-Dahabi, son of recently relieved Jordanian Prime Minister Nader al-Dahabi (ref C). The younger Dahabi has been in the local press in recent months regarding allegations that he used his father's position as PM to improperly obtain government contracts. ¶5. (S/NF) Conclusion: There is much that remains murky about Dahab, and negative rumors persist about the abu Dahab family. It is possible that Quandour is the company owner in name only, and is attempting to distance the firm from the actual owner (possibly her husband) and rumors of questionable activities. The misspelling of the company name on their application, as well as the spelling of Abulzahb's name on his English-language business card (followed by his hesitancy to admit that it was in fact his mother who was the listed owner of the firm),could likewise be efforts to inhibit connecting the company with the abu Dahab family name. ¶6. (S/NF) While Dahab Corporation could be as they portray themselves, in the business of moving goods between suppliers and legitimate end-users such as GoJ and the UN, rumors abound regarding the abu Dahab family and less-than-reputable individuals and activities. Regrettably Post is unable to authoritatively attest to the company ownership/management, the legitimacy of their employees or associates, or the legality of all of their operations. ¶7. (U) Corrected address/contact information for this firm is: - DAHAB CORPORATION (vice Dehab) - 30 KABUL (AKA "KABOL")STREET, RABIA DISTRICT - GHAZAL COMPLEX BLDG, BUILDING 30 - 3RD FLOOR, OFFICE 33 - AMMAN - JORDAN 11194 - TEL: 962-6-552-2024 - FAX: 962-6-556-0456 - WWW.DAHABCO.COM Visit Amman's Classified Web Site at http://diplopedia.state.sgov.gov/index.php?ti tle=Embassy Amman Beecroft