Sam Pa

Sam Pa is a business magnate believed to be the head of the 88 Queensway Group and numerous subsidiary companies that operate mining and resource concessions in a number of countries, notably across Africa. Pa has been the subject of controversy, allegedly propping up Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF regime in Zimbabwe and securing business contacts on the back of a coup d'état in Madagascar and civil unrest in Guinea.

History Sam Pa is alleged to use a several different aliases. At least eight of these were listed in connection with Pa in an American Congressional report. These names include Sam Pa, Sampa, Samo, Sam King, Sa Muxu, Xu Songhua, Xu Jinghua, Ghui Ka Leung, while the United States Department of the Treasury also lists Samo Hui, Antonio Famtosonghiu Sampo Menezes and Tsui Kyung-Wha as aliases in connection with Zimbabwean sanctions.

It is unknown why Pa uses so many aliases. Attempts to research Pa's history prove inconclusive, which has led some to believe that he is a "princeling", the son of a well-connected original Chinese communist revolutionary. Reports also list one of Pa's aliases as having a Russian military background that spent time in Angola during the Angolan Civil War. It is believed that Pa first met the future Angolan President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos during his time with the Russian military. It is also alleged by Chinese bloggers that Pa provided weapons and support during the Angolan Civil War.

Situation in 2010

Pa is said to be the President of the China International Fund (CIF) and named by an American Congressional report to be involved in what the report dubbed the "88 Queensway Group" of businesses. This is not the legal name of the group, but a nickname referring to the companies' registered address in Two Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty, Hong Kong. However, it is unclear exactly how many businesses are involved in the 88 Queensway Group with over 30 companies registered to the same address with operations throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia and the United States.

Pa's involvement is often not listed in any company documents,

Another director of at least 14 companies with Pa and the 88 Queensway Group, Wu Yang, has links to the Chinese PRC Ministry of Public Security and Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS).

Arrest Pa was arrested at a hotel in Beijing on 8 October 2015 as part of Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign. , his whereabouts were unknown.

In May 2017, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York convicted Mahmoud Thiam of laundering $8.5 million of bribes paid by Sam Pa to him as minister of mines in Guinea in 2009 in order to award mining concessions to CIF.