Saudi Arabian national Salah Fustok, the main negotiator of the Saudi Arabian National Guard's (SANG) military contracts, had found refuge in Lebanon at a time when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman hunted him, but regional shifts could mean that he is no longer safe in Beirut.

Intelligence Online published a report revealing that MbS's "investigators are still on the hunt for Salah Fustok" who is a fugitive in Beirut. Fustok used to serve as the primary negotiator of arms contracts for SANG under the Kingship of Abdullah bin Abdulaziz. Now turned fugitive, Fustok, according to Intelligence Online, "holds secrets about many Western defense companies' business dealings in Saudi Arabia."

In an earlier report in 2022, Intelligence Online published a report which disclosed that MbS had " issued an arrest warrant" for Fustok, and he continues to seek Fustok out in an effort to "extract" the last-remaining details on the financial affairs of the now-deceased King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz.

Fustok was in charge of approving all defense contracts under King Abdullah and was the uncle of the King's son, Muteb bin Abdullah, who served as commander of SANG until he was deposed by MbS in 2017. Last year's report noted that Muteb was under house arrest and could not leave the Kingdom given that he was also caught up in the royal family's political purge launched by Bin Salman.

Can Beirut remain a safe haven?

The newly released report argued that while Beirut has been a safe haven for Fustok, the recently signed agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia could soon have implications on the Lebanese-Saudi Arabian relationships. In that sense, Intelligence Online explained that the changing regional relations could result in possible legal cooperation between Beirut and Riyadh.

In case that development between Lebanon and the Kingdom does happen, then the Fustok clan, Intelligence Online stated, would likely choose to move to either France or the UK, given the extensive relationships Fustok has in both Paris and London. It is worth noting that Intelligence Online claimed to have conducted a comprehensive investigation into Fustok's military-financial empire.

Numerous Saudi Royals who have either been banished or are waiting things out before returning to Riyadh under more favorable conditions already call France and the UK home. However, Intelligence Online recognizes a main issue in such a plan for Fustok, and it's that both Paris and London hope that MbS would negotiate fresh contracts with their defense companies.

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