The powerful governor of Saudi Arabia’s state-backed investment fund has been invited to testify before a Senate committee in the wake of a proposed merger between the Saudi-backed LIV Tour and the PGA, raising the possibility the executive could be questioned under oath about issues ranging from the future of golf to the execution of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Yasir al-Rumayyan, governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, was invited to testify on 11 July by the Senate permanent subcommittee on investigations, whose chairman, the Democratic senator Dick Blumenthal, is one of the toughest critics of Saudi Arabia on Capitol Hill.
Jay Monahan, the PGA commissioner, and LIV Golf League chief executive and commissioner Greg Norman, were also invited to testify.
The proposed merger of LIV Tour and PGA, which also involves the DP World Tour, has received a frosty reception on Capitol Hill, where it is facing questions not only from Blumenthal, but also the Senate finance committee. The call for Rumayyan to testify at a hearing, however, marks a new twist.
In a public statement, Blumenthal said the purpose of the hearing was to examine the proposed agreement between the PGA and the PIF.
“Our goal is to uncover the facts about what went into the PGA Tour’s deal with the Saudi Public Investment Fund and what the Saudi takeover means for the future of this cherished American institution and our national interest,” Blumenthal said.
“Americans deserve to know what the structure and governance of this new entity will be. Major actors in the deal are best positioned to provide this information, and they owe Congress – and the American people – answers in a public setting.”
But it is far from clear whether Rumayyan will ultimately agree to testify. Saudi officials in the past have successfully avoided depositions and public testimony under oath by claiming sovereign immunity.
While the focus of the hearing will undoubtedly be centered on golf, Rumayyan could also face questions about his role at the PIF and his relationship with the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, who is the chairman of the PIF.
Rumayyan wears many hats in his role as a Saudi state official: he serves as chairman of Saudi Aramco, the Saudi national oil company, and chairman of Newcastle United, among other roles.
The Guardian previously reported that the executive was involved in a controversial “anti-corruption” purge in Saudi Arabia that included the transfer of assets on behalf of the crown prince.
Internal Saudi documents filed to a civil court in Canada as part of an unrelated case show that in 2017 a close aide to Prince Mohammed ordered Rumayyan – who is formally referred to in memos as “his excellency” and the “supervisor” of the PIF – to transfer 20 companies to the sovereign wealth fund as part of the anti-corruption campaign.
One of 20 seized companies, the documents show, was a charter jet company that was later alleged to have been used in the Saudi plot to kill Jamal Khashoggi. US intelligence agencies concluded in an intelligence report that was declassified in 2021 that Prince Mohammed approved Khashoggi’s gruesome murder.
There is no suggestion that Rumayyan had involvement in or knowledge of the alleged use of the jets in the operation that killed the Washington Post journalist. But the matter could be raised in the upcoming hearing, as could questions about the PIF’s takeover of Newcastle.
Rumayyan could also be asked about his financial relationship with Donald Trump, whose golf properties have hosted LIV events.
People familiar with the PGA’s previous litigation with LIV Tour – which has been dropped following the announcement of the proposed deal – told the Guardian that Saudi officials associated with the litigation had steadfastly refused to be deposed in the matter, claiming sovereign immunity.
The letter seeking Rumayyan’s in-person attendance at the July hearing was signed by Blumenthal and Ron Johnson, the top Republican senator on the subcommittee. The executive has until 28 June to confirm his appearance.
This article was amended on 21 June 2023 to clarify that Yasir al-Rumayyan is the governor of Saudi Arabia’s state-backed investment fund, rather than the chairman.