1979-1989: Petra Bank in Jordan Appears to Flourish

Two years after its founding, Petra Bank, run by Ahmed Chalabi, is the second largest bank in Jordan. The bank’s success is attributed to the Chalabi family’s vast network of international connections which has enabled Petra to move money in and out of Jordan several steps ahead of the Jordon’s strict exchange controls. “They were far more efficient than the other banks,” a Jordanian businessman tells Salon. Chalabi’s bank lends money to several influential figures, including Prince Hasan, now a close acquaintance of Chalabi, to whom the bank lends $30 million. Chalabi’s friendship with Hassan enables Petra to open a chain of branches in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. [Guardian, 4/14/2003; Salon, 5/4/2004; New Yorker, 6/7/2004; Christian Science Monitor, 6/15/2004] During this period, Petra bank even does business with Saddam Hussein, helping the dictator finance Iraqi trade with Jordan. [Salon, 5/5/2004]