12 Facts About Arif Naqvi

Arif Naqvi's father was a small plastics manufacturing company owner.

Arif Naqvi began his career with Arthur Andersen in London and American Express in Karachi.

In 1999, Naqvi purchased Inchcape Middle East, for $102 million, with $4.1 million in equity, making it the MENA region's first leveraged buyout.

Arif Naqvi then sold off pieces of the company for a total of $173 million.

In 2002, Arif Naqvi founded Abraaj Capital, and in 2012 the company merged with Aureos Capital to become The Abraaj Group.

Arif Naqvi is known as a collector of art and for establishing a collection of Middle Eastern art.

In February 2018, Arif Naqvi was accused by Andrew Farnum at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and other investors of misappropriating funds, leading to the provisional liquidation of The Abraaj Group.

On 5 April 2019, Arif Naqvi was arrested by authorities in the United Kingdom after he was charged by the United States Department of Justice with fraud, misleading investors and misappropriating $230 million from Abraaj Growth Markets Health Fund.

In July 2019, two Abraaj entities were fined US$315 million by the Dubai Financial Services Authority and Arif Naqvi was sentenced to three years imprisonment in absentia in the United Arab Emirates on charges of financial fraud.

On 8 March 2023, Arif Naqvi lost his challenge to extradition from London to the United States, as a UK High Court Judge refused Arif Naqvi permission to bring a judicial review against the 2021 approval of his extradition to the United States.

In 2007, Arif Naqvi was granted the Sitara-i-Imtiaz by the Government of Pakistan, in recognition of his outstanding service in the field of public services.

In 2015, Arif Naqvi was awarded with the BNP Paribas Grand Prix for Individual Philanthropy by BNP Paribas.