Saudi mega-builder Binladin ‘should declare bankruptcy’
Saudi’s stricken mega-builder Binladin, which has been behind many of the kingdom’s largest projects but is now struggling to pay tens of thousands of workers, should declare bankruptcy among other options, a report stated. The report, from the Dubai-based CNBC Arabic channel, suggested that the Saudi Binladin conglomerate had three other options to stave off collapse. The options suggested were for the Saudi government to acquire a 60 percent stake in the firm. Another option was for it to sell off its existing real estate projects and dispense with contracts that the company has already won.
Earlier this week, pictures showed at least 10 Binladin buses that had been burned and vandalized, reportedly by disgruntled employees. At least seven protesters were arrested following the arson attack.
Despite its main competitor weakening, Saudi Oger, another of the kingdom’s construction giants hit by the slowdown, is reportedly struggling too. In March, the kingdom’s labor ministry reportedly took steps to punish Saudi Oger for delayed salaries. Saudi’s Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told Bloomberg in an April interview that the firm has debt “in and out of Saudi. Saudi Oger can’t cover their own labor costs. That’s not our problem, that’s Saudi Oger’s.”