JEDDAH: Saleh Al-Turki, chairman of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), was relieved of his position at the JCCI yesterday, according to sources close to Arab News.
Although there was no official confirmation from the JCCI yesterday, board members were summoned for an emergency meeting last night. However, the meeting’s quorum was incomplete and the meeting was delayed for today.
JCCI sources speaking on condition of anonymity told Arab News that Al-Turki, JCCI board member in charge of Jeddah Marketing Board Sami Baharawi and Executive Director of the Jeddah Marketing Board Samia Filimban were relieved of their positions yesterday following instructions from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Sources said the decision was directly linked to the three to four month postponement of the 10th Jeddah Economic Forum (JEF), which was earlier scheduled to take place on Feb. 14-17.
Mustafa Sabri, secretary-general of the JCCI, said earlier last month that the postponement was due to the JCCI not receiving permission from the government. “As soon as we get the license, we will go ahead with the holding of the JEF,” he said, adding that there were no other problems in the way of the “much awaited and prestigious” event. “We now hope to organize it around May,” he added.
The decision to postpone the JEF was taken at a JCCI board meeting last month. The meeting regretted the decision, as it had not received the official “go ahead” from the Ministry of Commerce. The event is held every year with the support of the Makkah Governorate since 2000.
The postponement was allegedly due to Al-Turki’s failure to operate within the established organizational framework set by the government after the sixth JEF.
A source said that the JEF organizers failed to meet the guidelines in the seventh, eighth and ninth forums. The postponement of this year’s forum was announced in the first week of January, one month prior to the previously set date.
The cancellation came as a shock to the business community and organizers who had to cancel filed visa applications for a large number of the forum’s expected participants.
— With input from Galal Fakkar
