LONDON — Hussain Sajwani wants the world to know he鈥檚 Donald Trump鈥檚 man in the Middle East.
From his perch in Dubai, the billionaire real-estate mogul is busy working to strengthen — and promote — his relationship with the Trump Organization.
And he鈥檚 making no apologies, whatever critics might say about potential conflicts for America鈥檚 first family.
鈥淭rump getting elected definitely enhanced the profile of his organization鈥檚 brand,鈥 he said in the London office of his company, Damac Properties Dubai Co.
鈥淏eing his partner, we get a benefit.鈥
Mr. Sajwani has two golf-course development deals with the president鈥檚 family company in Dubai, which netted Mr. Trump as much as $10 million in 2015 and 2016, according to US financial disclosures.
The tie-up with Mr. Trump has transformed Mr. Sajwani from a little-known Dubai developer into someone who describes himself in press releases as 鈥淭rump鈥檚 Middle Eastern business partner.鈥
Mr. Sajwani says he鈥檚 sitting on $3 billion in cash and is ready to expand in Europe because Damac鈥檚 size — it has 44,000 units in the pipeline across the Middle East — makes it hard to grow at home. He鈥檚 eyeing investments in Berlin and the Spanish coastal resort of Marbella, and he鈥檚 investing 拢400 million ($516 million) in a luxury tower rising just south of the River Thames in London that鈥檚 due to open in 2019. Mr. Trump鈥檚 anti-Muslim rhetoric and his travel ban on immigrants from several mostly Muslim countries haven鈥檛 hurt Damac, Mr. Sajwani says.
To lead the European expansion, Damac on July 4 said it had hired Richard Choi, who had run HSBC鈥檚 real estate business in Europe and the Americas.
Mr. Sajwani is searching for another site in London, and said he might announce another project this year. Britain鈥檚 decision to leave the European Union has made investment there more attractive by weakening the pound and sparking a drop in land prices.
鈥淭here is more willingness on the part of sellers鈥 to do deals, he said.
A graduate of the University of Washington in Seattle, Mr. Sajwani got his start by setting up a catering company called Global Logistics Services, which supplied US troops in Kuwait and Iraq and now mostly works with oil companies in the Middle East.
He parlayed that business into real estate in the early 2000s, when the Dubai government eased restrictions on property purchases by foreigners. By 2013, when Mr. Sajwani struck an agreement with Ivanka Trump for the Dubai golf course, Damac was developing the area as a luxury community he calls the emirate鈥檚 Beverly Hills.
In May, he hosted Donald Trump, Jr. in Dubai to discuss the recently opened golf course with roughly 180 Trump-branded villas priced at $2 million each.
Mr. Sajwani says he sells a few villas a month, paying a commission of 鈥渓ess than five percent鈥 to the Trump Organization.
There are plans for a small boutique hotel and a school attached to the golf course, all operated by Trump International. Another Trump golf course designed by Tiger Woods is due to open next year.
After Mr. Sajwani posted a photo on Instagram showing him at lunch with Donald Jr., saying they were 鈥渄iscussing new ideas and innovation,鈥 speculation surged about new deals. Mr. Sajwani says they only spoke about how to improve the Trump golf club in Dubai.
Mr. Sajwani says Eric Trump, the US president鈥檚 second-eldest son, invited him to the opening of a golf course in Scotland in June, so he flew up for the day. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 play golf,鈥 he admits, but the two were able to 鈥渃atch up about Dubai.鈥
In January, Mr. Trump handed over the management of his company to Donald Jr. and Eric, rejecting calls to divest or put his assets in a blind trust. He pledged to forgo any new contracts overseas, but said the company would press ahead with projects already in the works. Critics have accused the president of a conflict of interest in his dealings with foreigners, saying they raise concerns that decisions might be influenced by his financial interests. Several lawsuits accuse Mr. Trump of violating the constitution by accepting payments from foreign governments and officials.
Mr. Sajwani says he attended this year鈥檚 New Year鈥檚 Eve party at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where Mr. Trump praised him before guests. Less than two weeks later, Mr. Trump said he turned down a $2-billion deal with Mr. Sajwani in Dubai to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest. Mr. Sajwani declined to elaborate on the investments and refused to say whether he鈥檇 been in touch with Mr. Trump since his inauguration, simply chuckling when pressed on the matter.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e said they won鈥檛 do any new foreign deals,鈥 Mr. Sajwani said, 鈥渁nd they鈥檙e sticking to that.鈥 — Bloomberg
