Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani (HBJ) served as Qatar's Foreign Minister (1992–2013) and Prime Minister (2007–2013).
Born in Doha in 1959 into the ruling Al Thani family, HBJ emerged as the architect of Qatar's dual strategy of aggressive financial expansion and "talk to everyone" diplomacy.
As CEO of the Qatar Investment Authority, HBJ deployed sovereign wealth as a strategic instrument.
During the 2008 financial crisis, QIA acquired stakes in Barclays, Harrods, Canary Wharf, Volkswagen, and Porsche—positioning Qatar inside Western financial and commercial infrastructure at a moment of vulnerability.
The Barclays rescue later drew regulatory scrutiny in the UK, though no charges were filed against HBJ.
The Pandora Papers revealed HBJ's use of offshore entities for asset management, raising questions about transparency in sovereign wealth deployment and the boundaries between state and personal finance.
HBJ stepped down in 2013 and founded HBJ Investment Group, transitioning to private business while remaining one of the Arab world's wealthiest individuals. His name appears in Jeffrey Epstein's contact book.
Sources: Wikipedia; Encyclopedia.com; European Parliament records; Forbes Middle East; ICIJ Pandora Papers; Reuters/AP reporting on QIA transactions; publicly available court archives and U.S. lobbying disclosures.
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"just left hbj. He would like to sit with you." Epstein wrote to Barak on 10 November 2018.
The email exchange offers a rare glimpse into Epstein arranging what is effectively unofficial diplomacy between former senior Israeli and Qatari officials.
Barak was head of Israeli military intelligence in the 1980s before entering politics. He was also the minister of defence from 2007 to 2013.
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Epstein to Steve Bannon: “Mr evil. Ehud hbj etc”