JEDDAH, 27 September — Dr. Majed Al-Kassabi, secretary-general of Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has resigned protesting the decision of the chamber’s board to cut short his financial powers, Al-Watan Arabic newspaper reported yesterday.
Some businessmen in Jeddah believe that the setting up of a special committee to review the financial allocations made by Kassabi during the past years was one of the major reasons that irked the secretary-general and prompted his resignation.
Al-Watan said the chamber’s board met on Wednesday to discuss Kassabi’s resignation, which is likely to take effect by the end of Ramadan.
The chamber’s present board, chaired by Abdullah Zainal, had taken a number of important decisions recently to control and rationalize expenditure.
The board instructed the secretariat not to make any expenditure other than what is allocated in the budget.
A special panel chaired by Zainal now decides on new financial allocations. Earlier it was under the authority of Kassabi.
The panel includes Walid Al-Juffali, Ghassan Suleiman, vice chairmen of the board, Ibrahim Al-Jomaih, head of the financial committee, and Kassabi.
The secretariat should get the approval of at least two panel members for new allocations.
The committee appointed to review Qassabi’s financial allocations includes Al-Jomaih, Abdullah Ridwan, Mohammed Al-Oyuti, Osama Alkhereiji, chartered accountants, and Mohammed Salahuddin.
