But the most serious in this story of “mores” in the form, fact of possibility of the existence of a “conflict of interests” due to a recent partnership concluded between this Australian giant of renewable energies and Morocco in the field of green hydrogen.
A denial and refusal to comment. It’s the murky situation that has overshadowed an Australian bachelor’s romance after a Parisian pass.
Over the weekend, photos of Fortescue chairman Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest were released, showing the mining magnate enjoying a moment of passion with a mystery woman on the streets of Paris.
Mr Forrest has been single since he and his partner Nicole Forrest announced their separation in July 2023.
Mr and Mrs Forrest were Australia’s richest couple, behind Australia’s richest person, Gina Rinehart, but have now slipped further down the rankings on this year’s AFR Rich List following their split.
Ms Forrest is now Australia’s seventh richest person, with an estimated fortune of $16.92 billion. Mr Forrest is Australia’s eighth richest person, with an estimated fortune of $16.76 billion.
So when images of the billionaire bachelor’s first documented public pash hit the headlines, it got tongues wagging.
Speculation over the identity of the mystery woman photographed in mid-pash has led to several reports including one potential name, Leila Benali.
Mr Forrest and Ms Benali are said to have met on several occasions.
Ms Benali, the Moroccan energy minister, welcomed Mr Forrest and a Fortescue delegation to Morocco’s capital in February this year. In January, the two men also reportedly crossed paths in Davos, a city in the Swiss Alps.
It appears Ms Benali was in Paris on the day of the kiss after an official visit to France.
Ms Benali fiercely denied being the woman photographed kissing Mr. Forrest and indicated she may launch defamation proceedings against those who claimed the images were her.
The statement, according to Moroccan World News, described the rumors as an “offensive publication” and an “attempt at defamation” by vengeful interest groups opposed to his efforts to make Morocco a self-sufficient energy power. green.
In this document, the ministry deplores that the news circulated without “verification of its credibility by certain national pages and media platforms”.
As for Mr. Forrest, his team maintained a steady line, declining to comment for privacy reasons.
Mr. Forrest is considered a single man and is completely free to enjoy moments of passion in the city of love. However questions arise due to the recent rise in power of Fortescue in Morocco and with the public group OCP.
In April, Fortescue announced a joint venture with OCP Group which would see them supply green hydrogen, ammonia, and fertilizer both domestically and across Europe.
It is understood that this project has been worked on over the past two years.
On Thursday, the Daily Telegraph published claims that some members of Fortescue’s staff knew the president had been romantically involved with a Moroccan minister for some time.
The Nightly asked Fortescue if they could comment on these claims, but again they declined to comment due to privacy concerns.
The media team could not clarify whether a personal relationship existed or whether a relationship between a president and a minister should be declared.
Other potential identities of the mystery woman are yet to be added to the swirling speculations.
So, with one denial and many refusing to comment due to privacy concerns, it appears we are no closer to uncovering the truth and confirming the identity of the mysterious woman Forrest escaped from.
