Saudi Oger: Built on political connections

When Rafiq Hariri first moved to Saudi Arabia in the 1960s, he struggled financially. It was a time when the Al-Saud was open to relying on non-Saudi Arab businessmen – the likes of the Pharaon family, for example. In the 1970s, French company Oger began to win contracts to build palaces and government buildings, and, in 1977, won a $127m contract to build a palace for King Khalid in Taif.