Sam Pa
The mentor of what the Financial Times deems a “secretive Hong Kong-based business network at the heart of China’s advance into Africa,” and who was recently detained in Beijing on suspicion of links to “regulation-violating” former-Governor Su Shulin, could actually be from Macau. According to various sources, Sam Pa has used a number of aliases, and different passports during his travels and business ventures. But mystery surrounds the investor’s nationality as much as it does his real name.
According to a report published in May 2015 by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies in Washington D.C., there is a dispute among those who claim to know him regarding his nationality. Some people claim that he was born and raised in Hong Kong. Others claim that he moved to Hong Kong but was originally from the mainland, Singapore or Macau. Media reports covering his 2004 visit to Argentina even claimed that he was Cambodian.
Sam Pa, 57, is the founder of the Queensway Group. The group’s name has been attributed to the corporate network controlling China International Fund Ltd and China Sonangol, both of which share headquarters on the 10th floor of Two Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Hong Kong.
He is currently detained following investigations into his links with the former Sinopec boss and Fujian Governor, Su Shulin. Pa is suspected of having assisted with the organization of a number of major overseas deals for Chinese oil giants using his political and business connections among foreign elites.
Specifically, when Su was the general manager of Sinopec, Pa is believed to have been instrumental in securing a number of oil fields in Angola. Between 2008 and 2013, Sinopec acquired a total of five offshore Angolan oil fields.
Caixin reported that “the acquired fields in Angola since 2008 have become black holes for Sinopec, with the company continuing to invest without generating any commercial returns”.
In 2014, Pa was placed under sanctions in the U.S. after his Hong Kong-based Queensway Group was accused of propping up Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe’s regime in exchange for business interests. It is believed that the group funded Mugabe’s secret police force – an organization notorious for its human rightsabuses and misconduct.
According to the Africa Centre for Strategic Studies report, the Queensway Group “frequently appears in resource-rich states in Africa where it can operate with high levels of opacity.” Few details from the contracts in each country are disclosed to the public, and some have alleged that the bribery of African government officials and other illicit activities have allowed the group to secure contracts.
“In states where contracts have been unearthed, such as Guinea and Tanzania” the report continues, “the deals were revealed to be flagrantly unfavorable to the citizens of the host country.”
His relationships with senior officials in African institutions have been nurtured for several decades – dating back to his time as a Chinese intelligence operative and alleged weapons trader. Some sources have claimed that his intelligence activities have overlapped with his business interests, as it has been suggested that he has acted as an intermediary between Beijing and foreign governments, and has brokered international arms deals. Staff reporter
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