Sardinia's Costa Smerelda to Be Bought by Emir of Qatar

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Fifty years after it was created from scratch by the Aga Khan as a playground for the rich and famous, Sardinia's exclusive Emerald Coast is on the verge of being bought by one of the world's richest men, the emir of Qatar.

A portfolio of luxury properties on the stunning stretch of coastline - where former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has a sprawling villa - is to be acquired by Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani through the Middle Eastern state’s sovereign fund, Qatar Holding.

The investment arm of the Qatari royal family is to buy Smeralda Holding, a company which owns four five-star hotels, the Pevero Golf Club, ranked as one of the top 100 courses in the world, and a marina with 700 yacht berths, according to Italian press reports.

The assets are currently owned by Tom Barrack, an American property magnate, whose Colony Capital fund bought them in 2003 for a reported €290m (£242m).

The sale has not been officially confirmed, and a spokesman for Qatar Holding in London declined to comment. » | Nick Squires | Tuesday, April 03, 2012

Boost for Athens as Qatar Invests $775m in Greek Gold

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Qatari sovereign wealth fund, which owns Harrods, is investing $775m (£497m) in European Goldfields, in what will be seen as a major boost for the ailing Greek economy.

Qatar Holding, which controls the wealth of the Middle East state’s royal family, has acquired a 9.9pc stake in the London and Toronto-listed gold miner from Greek construction group Ellaktor and one of its directors, Dimitrios Koutras.

It will also provide a $600m loan facility. The seven-year facility attracts a 7pc rate of interest.

European Goldfields’ shareholders will also be offered a further $150m of loan notes at the same rate.

If the loan notes are taken up and Qatar Holdings exercises other equity options that are attached it could take its stake close to 30pc and take the total value of the deal to almost $1bn.

Ahmad al-Sayed, Qatar Holding’s chief executive, said: “Hopefully this will have a positive impact on the local [Greek] economy. [By] investing in the company we are giving them the security of financing to start operating.” » | James Quinn, Deputy Business Editor, Sunday Telegraph | Saturday, October 01, 2011