Raymond Lakah Franco-Egyptian tycoon Country: Egypt

Biography of Raymond Lakah

Raymond Lakah, formerly known as Rami Lakah, was born around 1960 into a wealthy Greek Catholic Egyptian family with Syrian roots. He gained fame alongside his brother Michel Lakah in the mid-1990s. The brothers owned a construction holding company and were also involved in healthcare and aviation. In November 1998, they listed a portion of their assets on the Cairo Stock Exchange, with Rami owning 38% and Michel owning 31%.

In November 2000, Lakah was elected to the Egyptian Parliament at the relatively young age of 40. However, his election raised questions about the legality of his position in government institutions of different countries, given that he held dual citizenship in France and Egypt. In January 2001, the Minister of Interior officially declared Lakah's election in 2000 invalid.

Prior to his unsuccessful foray into politics, Lakah had already been involved in discussions regarding his financial obligations. His debt, ranging from 1.2 to 1.4 billion Egyptian pounds, remained unpaid despite numerous government loans in Egypt. When legal actions were filed against him, Lakah fled Egypt and took up residence in France. In August 2001, an Egyptian court ruled that Lakah, due to his dual citizenship, could not be a member of the Egyptian Parliament. In October 2004, the Egyptian Parliament officially established a new rule stating that dual citizenship disqualifies individuals from holding a seat in the Parliament.

During an interview with AlJazeera satellite channel, Lakah dismissed the accusations against him as politically motivated. He later claimed that all his debts had been paid off. In France, the magnate abandoned his Arab name Rami and adopted the name Raymond. He became the head of several commercial enterprises, including the airline company 'Star Airlines,' and in 2004, he acquired the newspaper 'France Soir.'

In February 2006, 'France Soir' published caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad, causing a storm of outrage among Muslims worldwide. These controversial caricatures were initially published in the Danish newspaper 'Jyllands-Posten' on September 30, 2005. By republishing the cartoons, 'France Soir' featured them under the headline: 'Yes, a person has the right to depict God in a caricatured form.'

On the day of the republication, Raymond immediately dismissed Jacques Lefranc, the editor-in-chief of his newspaper. 'Le Monde' reported that Lakah issued a statement, stating that he fired Lefranc as the head of 'France Soir' out of respect for each individual's personal beliefs and convictions. In his statement, he added, 'We apologize to the Muslim community and to all those who were shocked and offended by this publication.'