Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
10AMMAN216
2010-01-21 07:24:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Amman
Cable title:  

JORDAN BLUE LANTERN:VERIFYING BONA FIDES OF

Tags:  ETTC KOMC JO 
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VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHAM #0216/01 0210724
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 210724Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6730
UNCLAS AMMAN 000216 

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR PM/DTCC BLUE LANTERN COORDINATOR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETTC KOMC JO
SUBJECT: JORDAN BLUE LANTERN:VERIFYING BONA FIDES OF
REGISTERED BROKER SAMIR AYOUB(CASE NUMBER K-2282)

REF: A. A) WILSON-JOUBERT-LIN EMAIL NOV 09

B. B) 09 STATE 99534

UNCLAS AMMAN 000216

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR PM/DTCC BLUE LANTERN COORDINATOR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETTC KOMC JO
SUBJECT: JORDAN BLUE LANTERN:VERIFYING BONA FIDES OF
REGISTERED BROKER SAMIR AYOUB(CASE NUMBER K-2282)

REF: A. A) WILSON-JOUBERT-LIN EMAIL NOV 09

B. B) 09 STATE 99534


1. (SBU) Economic Section and Foreign Commercial Service
(FCS) LESs conducted initial/preliminary database searches
on this firm through Government of Jordan (Ministry of
Industry and Trade(MoIT)) on-line records and found no
pertinent information.


2. (SBU) Blue Lantern officer performed a no-notice visit to
Vision Engineering on December 2, 2009, to determine the
location of the office. Blue Lantern officer returned,
accompanied by LES assistant, on December 14, 2009, and met
with Waleed Ayoub, who identified himself as Managing
Director, and Business Development Manager, Emad Shugran.
Ayoub said the company group had three companies, operated by
him and his two brothers, with Samir, recently retired as
CEO, now residing in the U.K. He said another brother is a
resident of the U.S. and currently Jordanian Honorary Consul
in San Francisco, California.


3. (SBU) Ayoub described how his firm procures and sells
defense and security related equipment, primarily, but not
exclusively, communications devises, to the Government of
Jordan. He explained that his firm is family-owned, and part
of three-company family business group, Ardico
(WWW.ARDICO.JO) consisting of Vision Engineering Group,
Ardico itself (representing Unisys Corporation in Jordan),
and their Technical Applications Contracting Group. He
reported that his firm never takes physical custody of any
product, in order to avoid customs duties and taxes, however
they arrange for shipment and delivery direct to the
receiving entity.


4. (SBU) He reported they initially registered as brokers in
order to provide L3 Corporation (www.l-3com.com) manufactured
self-destruct armament fuses to the GoJ, citing a four-five
year relationship they had with L3, and several meetings they
arranged between L3 and GoJ. However that arrangement
eventually collapsed, apparently in favor of a competitor,
RCS (septel). Ayoub reported that Vision is currently
engaged in providing secure radio units (Sepura Corp, U.K.)
to the GoJ police, military, and Royal Court guard forces.


5. (SBU) Ayoub claims to be have been acting as day-to-day
manager of the firm since 2005. Initially he seemed just a
bit tentative and uncomfortable, repeatedly referring to
documents or searching through files in order to respond to
fairly basic questions. However this could have been
nervousness conversing in English, or that as an engineer he
was much more comfortable discussing technical aspects,
rather than business issues, which was where Emboff was
focused.


6. (SBU) Like many of the other firms in this line of work,
Vision Engineering appears to act as an in-country
representative of western firms, providing military or
security equipment to Government of Jordan (GoJ) agencies.
Vision reports they deal almost exclusively with the
Government of Jordan and, due to customs fees and taxes,
claim never to take physical possession of any items they
broker; rather they expedite the contracts to deliver the
products to the GoJ officials, then facilitate user training
and provide follow-on maintenance and support.


7. (SBU) Conclusion. Based on initial impressions the Ayoub
family seems established and well-connected within the upper
levels of the GoJ. Their company appears to be how they
represent it, and legitimately involved in the business they
report to be engaged in.


8. (U) Corrected address/contact information for this
firm is:

- SAMIR AYOUB, CHAIRMAN (EMERITUS)
- WALID AYOUB, GENERAL MANAGER
- VISION ENGINEERING GROUP
- 1ST FLOOR, ABDALLAT CENTER BLDG
- 11 ABB STREET (11 THAQAFEH STREET)
- (The street name changed some time ago to Thaqafeh

- Street, however many local residents still use the
- original name, Abb Street)
- SHMEISANI, P.O. BOX 2420
- AMMAN
- JORDAN 11181
- TEL: 962-6-568-5160
- FAX: 962-6-568-5161

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