In a surprising revelation, it has come to light that Nigel Farage’s trip to Davos this week was hosted and funded by the $10 billion family trust of Iranian-born billionaire Sasan Ghandehari.
The leader of the Reform UK party has been making the rounds at the World Economic Forum, delivering speeches in which he pledged to tax banks and “fight the globalists”. However, Farage is listed on the WEF programme as a member of parliament and a representative of HP Trust, which describes itself as Ghandehari’s “family office” with a portfolio value exceeding £7.4 billion.
A representative for the trust confirmed that Ghandehari, a London-based venture capitalist, had invited Farage to Davos as an honorary and unpaid adviser to his impact investment portfolio, particularly focused on philanthropic activities in the Middle East. The costs associated with Farage’s WEF registration and hotel accommodation were covered by Ghandehari.
Ghandehari, now a British citizen, is the son of the late Iranian-Kazakh billionaire Hourieh Peramaa, who once owned one of London’s most expensive £50 million properties. He is also the representative of a firm suing Christie’s auction house over the provenance of a Picasso painting previously owned by someone convicted of a drug offence.
This is not the first time Farage’s party has been linked to the Ghandehari family. Earlier this year, it emerged that a small design firm called Interior Architecture Landscape had donated £200,000 to Reform UK in two tranches, according to Electoral Commission data. The company has listed the Ghandehari family as its clients in planning documents from 2015.
While the Ghandehari family confirmed that they are clients of Interior Architecture Landscape, they denied any involvement in the company’s decision to donate to Reform UK. The company’s spokesperson stated that the donation was a commercial and values-based decision made independently by the management.
Farage’s Davos connection to HP Trust and the Ghandehari family’s ties to his party raise questions about the sources of funding and potential conflicts of interest within the political landscape. As a professional journalist, I will continue to closely monitor and report on these developments with the utmost objectivity and integrity.
