Jordanian businessman Ziad Manasir was recently listed among the world’s top billionaires by Forbes Magazine.
Manasir, owner of Manasir Group in Jordan and Stroygazconsulting construction firm in Russia, came in 589th on the list, which included the 1,342 richest people on the planet.
The 48-year-old advanced by 12 spots on the list from 601st place the year before, Forbes said on its website.
Manasir’s fortune was estimated at $2.5 billion. He ranked 12th among Arab billionaires.
According to information published by Forbes on Manasir, his construction firm Stroygazconsulting has close ties with Russia’s state-owned gas producer Gazprom.
In 2012 it put into operation the Portovaya pumping station, which sends gas through the Nord Stream pipeline system. The company had sales of more than $11 billion during the year.
Manasir was born in Jordan, went to Russia as an exchange student and attended the Azerbaijan Oil and Chemistry Institute, Forbes said, adding that as a student, he began buying and selling computers and cars, and he later moved on to trade in yellow phosphorus, timber and oil products.
In the mid-1990s he bought a construction factory in Tyumen and started building residences for Gazprom workers there.
Other major clients of Stroygazconsulting, besides the gas monopoly, include Rosavtodor, a federal agency behind road construction in Russia.
Manasir owns several large investments in Jordan in the fields of oil and construction.
The richest Arab businesspeople also include Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, who came in first place in the region and 26th worldwide with a fortune estimated at $20 billion.
Regionally, the Saudi prince was followed by his fellow countrymen Mohammed Al Amoudi, with a fortune of $13.5 billion, Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber ($7 billion) and Sulaiman Al Rajhi and family, with $6 billion.
By Omar Obeidat
