Bakr bin Laden As chairman of construction giant Saudi Binladin Group, Bakr Bin Laden held enormous amounts of power, with multi-billion dollar deals aplenty and no perceivable limit to his success. So strong was his influence, he was sometimes called the ‘true ruler of Jeddah’. But empires are prone to oblivion, and while the group is not quite… As chairman of construction giant Saudi Binladin Group, Bakr Bin Laden held enormous amounts of power, with multi-billion dollar deals aplenty and no perceivable limit to his success. So strong was his influence, he was sometimes called the ‘true ruler of Jeddah’. But empires are prone to oblivion, and while the group is not quite at the nadir, it is not far off. The 2015 crane collapse at Mecca’s Grand Mosque, resulting in 118 deaths, led to the postponement of SBG taking new projects. Subsequent accusations of worker mistreatment and non-payment of wages were followed by a hammer-blow last year when the chairman was arrested as part of the government’s corruption crackdown. Sources say the state could take ownership of the company in order to restructure outstanding debts and secure bin Laden’s release. Chairman, Saudi Binladin Group Origin:KSA Residence:KSA Sector:Construction