Kuwait magnate Al Khorafi dies at 75

The former speaker of the Kuwaiti parliament died after suffering a heart attack.

Kuwait's former parliament Speaker Jassem Al Khorafi in Kuwait City on April 7, 2010. AFP Photo
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KUWAIT CITY // Kuwait’s richest independent businessman, Jassem Al Khorafi, who served as speaker of the country’s parliament for a decade, has died at the age of 75, his family said on Friday.

Kuwaiti media said he had suffered a heart attack while flying home from a private visit to Turkey.

Al Khorafi served as speaker from 1999 to 2011. He was finance minister from 1985 to 1986.

He and his siblings inherited their wealth from their father Mohammed Al Khorafi who established Al Khorafi Group in 1956.

The family business developed into the financial, telecommunications and industrial sectors, and it is now estimated to be worth more than $10 billion.

Al Khorafi’s funeral was to be held later on Friday.

* Agence France-Presse