Dickens & Madson Halts $8 Million Saudi Lobbying Contract Over Unpaid $4 Million Fee
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Oct 20
Dickens & Madson Halts $8 Million Saudi Lobbying Contract Over Unpaid $4 Million Fee
1 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Oct 20
Summary
Dickens & Madson told the Justice Department it has stopped work for Saudi businessman Abdulelah Bin Khaled Allam after receiving only half of an $8 million lobbying fee, leaving $4 million unpaid.
A FARA filing submitted Friday said the firm was hired in January to help lift sanctions and seizures tied to Allam and rebuild his political ties with Saudi authorities, but the disclosure arrived more than 260 days late.
The contract also tasked Ari Ben-Menashe with trying to secure Allam a Gaza economic recovery role and arrange meetings with Donald Trump, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Mohammed bin Salman; it is unclear whether any meetings happened.
Allam was seeking help recovering property seized in Saudi Arabia's 2017 corruption crackdown, a campaign that also drew scrutiny last year over an alleged $100,000 payment to Michael Boulos for Trump-family assistance.