Bulletin: The Removal Of Qatar's Finance Minister Is Unlikely To Change Policy Direction

DUBAI (S&P Global Ratings) May 10, 2021--S&P Global Ratings said today that the sudden removal of Qatar's finance minister should not cause a shift in government policies. We continue to think Qatar (AA-/Stable/A-1+) has strong credit fundamentals and that government policies will stay focused on the expansion of its liquefied natural gas capacity and prudent fiscal management, alongside additional efforts to promote the private sector and diversify the economy. On May 6, Qatar ordered the arrest of Finance Minister Ali Shareef al-Emadi amid a probe into alleged misuse of public funds and abuse of power. He has been the finance minister since 2013 and is on the board of numerous high-profile Qatari institutions, including the Qatar Investment Authority. The sudden

...DUBAI (S&P Global Ratings) May 10, 2021--S&P Global Ratings said today that the sudden removal of Qatar's finance minister should not cause a shift in government policies. We continue to think Qatar (##-/Stable/A-1+) has strong credit fundamentals and that government policies will stay focused on the expansion of its liquefied natural gas capacity and prudent fiscal management, alongside additional efforts to promote the private sector and diversify the economy. On May 6, Qatar ordered the arrest of Finance Minister Ali Shareef al-Emadi amid a probe into alleged misuse of public funds and abuse of power. He has been the finance minister since 2013 and is on the board of numerous high-profile Qatari institutions, including the Qatar Investment Authority. The sudden removal of senior government officials and charges against them are unusual circumstances in Qatar's recent history. We are not in a position to comment on whether this event signals a wider government initiative against perceived...

Bulletin