Ibrahim Abdulaziz Al-Assaf

Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Assaf[1] (Arabic: إبراهيم بن عبد العزيز بن عبد الله العساف‎; born 28 January 1949) is a Saudi politician who served as finance minister, foreign minister, and state minister of Saudi Arabia.[2]

Ibrahim Abdulaziz Al-Assaf
Al-Assaf (2016)
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 27 December 2018 – 23 October 2019
Monarch	King Salman
Preceded by	Adel al-Jubeir
Succeeded by	Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud
Minister of State Minister without portfolio
In office 2 November 2016 – 27 December 2018
Monarch	King Salman
Succeeded by	Saleh bin Abdul-Aziz Al ash-Sheikh
Minister of Finance
In office 30 January 1996 – 31 October 2016
Monarch	Fahd Abdullah Salman
Preceded by	Abdulaziz Abdullah Al Khuwaiter
Succeeded by	Mohammed Al-Jadaan
Personal details
Born	28 January 1949 Uyun AlJiwa, Saudi Arabia
Alma mater	King Saud University University of Denver Colorado State University, Fort Collins

Early life and education

Ibrahim was born in the Qassim Province in central Saudi Arabia on 28 January 1949. He received a bachelor of arts degree in economic and political science from King Saud University, Riyadh, in 1971.[3] He later obtained a master of arts degree in economics from the University of Denver in 1976 and a PhD in economics from Colorado State University in 1982.[4]

Career

Ibrahim initially pursued an academic career, becoming a teaching assistant and then visiting lecturer at King Abdulaziz Military Academy from 1971 to 1983. He was appointed an assistant professor and head of the Department of Administrative Services in 1982, and served until 1986. During that period, he also served as economic adviser to the Saudi Fund for Development.

After leaving academia, Dr. Al-Assaf moved to Washington, DC where he represented Saudi Arabia at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. In 1986, he was appointed alternate executive director at the IMF for Saudi Arabia. He left in 1989 to take up the executive directorship for Saudi Arabia at the World Bank.

Upon his return to Saudi Arabia in 1995, he served briefly as vice governor of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority, the country's central bank. He left to join the Council of Ministers as minister of state in October 1995. In January 1996, he was appointed minister of finance and national economy, a position that was renamed minister of finance in 2003.[5] He replaced Abdul Aziz Abdullah Al-Khuwaiter as finance minister.[5][6]

In addition to being finance minister, Ibrahim was a member of the board of directors of Saudi Aramco from 1996[7] and was the chairman of the Saudi Fund for Development and a member of the Public Investment Fund board.

In July 2017, Al-Assaf led the Saudi delegation in the G20 meeting in Hamburg, Germany.[8][9] In January 2018, he led a top level delegation to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos.[10][11]

Ibrahim Abdulaziz Al-Assaf was named foreign minister of Saudi Arabia in December 2018 replacing Adel al-Jubeir in the post.[12] His tenure ended in October 2019 when Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud named as the minister.[12]

Detention

On 4 November 2017, Ibrahim Abdulaziz Al-Assaf was detained in Saudi Arabia in a "corruption crackdown" conducted by a new royal anti-corruption committee.[13][14] However, the investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing, and he returned to his official duties and his name was cleared.[11]

Personal life

Ibrahim is married and has four children.[15]

References

1. "Biographies of Ministers". Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Washington, DC. Archived from the original on 16 June 2011. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
2. "Newly-appointed Saudi Ministers Al-Assaf and Al-Jadaan sworn in". Al Arabiya. 2 November 2016. Archived from the original on 9 July 2017.
3. "Saudi Arabia: The Monthly Newsletter of the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Washington, D.C.", Information Office, Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, p. 23, 1996
4. "Minister of Finance - SAMIRAD (Saudi Arabia Market Information Resource)". www.saudinf.com. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
5. "The Political Leadership - King Fahd". APS Review Gas Market Trends. 29 November 1999. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
6. "About Ministry of Finance". www.mof.gov.sa.
7. "Key members of the Saudi Aramco Executive Management". APS Review Gas Market Trends. 27 October 2003. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
8. "Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomes the State Minister of Saudi Arabia, Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz Al-Assaf". Retrieved 9 July 2017.
9. "Al-Assaf leads Saudi delegation". Arab News. 7 July 2017. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
10. "Top Level Saudi Delegation to Participate in Davos Summit". Al-Asharq awsat (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 25 May 2018.
11. "Previously detained ex-finance minister Assaf seen at Saudi cabinet..." Reuters. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
12. "Saudi Arabia replaces foreign minister less than a year after appointment". Times of Israel. AFP. 24 October 2019. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
13. "Saudi Arabia princes detained, ministers dismissed". Al Jazeera.
14. Stephen Kalin; Katie Paul (5 November 2017). "Future Saudi king tightens grip on power with arrests including Prince Alwaleed". Reuters. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
15. "Ibrahim Abdulaziz Al-Assaf, Minister of Finance - The Saudi Arabia Conference 2015". euromoneyconferences.com. Archived from the original on 9 July 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2017.