Kamal Adham

Kamal Adham was a former Director General of Saudi Arabia's Al Mukhabarat Al A'amah, General Intelligence Directorate. He was the younger half-brother of Princess Iffat Al-Thuniyyan Al Saud.

Early Life
Kamal Adham was born in 1929. Princess Iffat's Turkish-born half-brother was raised by King Faisal.

The young Adham was fluent in four languages — Arabic, Turkish, English and French — and, more important, loyal to both his sister and brother-in-law. In fact, he advised the ruler on the kingdom's foreign policy interests at a time when severe internal disputes polarised the Al Saud.

Positions held
King Faisal appointed Kamal Adham as the head of Al Mukhabarat Al A'amah (GID) in 1964. His tenure lasted for fifteen years until 1979.

Adham acted as a liaison between the GID, which reported to the king, and key Western intelligence services. More important, he fostered and maintained nascent ties with several Arab intelligence services, as many were slowly creating independent institutions to serve their respective governments.

Controversy
Kamal Adham involved in the huge Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) scandal at the beginning of the 1990s. US prosecutors accused him of playing a key role in the secret and illegal takeover of an American bank by BCCI. In 1992 he pleaded guilty in the US under a deal with the prosecutors. He paid a $105m (£53m) fine, and in return for a reduced sentence told them all he knew about BCCI's secret network of worldwide fraud and corruption.

Death
Kamal Adham died in 1999.

Legacy
The Kamal Adham Center for Television and Digital Journalism was founded under The American University in Cairo in 1985. The center was financially supported by Kamal Adham who was a member of Board of Trustees of the University.