Saddam's Sister

Saddam’s Sister

Matt is born to privilege, becomes highly successful through family connections and networks but also his capability for hard work, creative solutions, and native intelligence. Nonetheless he is principled and honest, though somewhat naive and ‘Corporate’ centred.
As a favour to one of his boyhood friends and pressure from the Foreign Office he is exposed to African (Malundi) culture and becomes part-time advisor to the President. He discovers the culture, the history and the people are vastly different to popular perception. He is keen to observe and assist the changes taking place, while the country battles to take advantage of new technology and the world economy without losing the benefits of their heritage.
On selling his application development company, he joins with a group of prominent Kuwaitis to provide the logistic services for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. His exposure to Arab culture and his being a member of a Kuwait social network result in him increasing his personal wealth and in learning to admire many aspects of the Arab - Islamic culture and way of life.
When the Iraq war does not end (relatively) quickly, the partners agree to sell the company to a Qatari group and to go their separate ways.
He finds London restrictive after Africa and Arabia and so moves to Malundi to develop a UN sponsored Conservation Reserve. This permits him to live and work in an idyllic environment.
A call from a Kuwaiti colleague prompts him to rescue a woman (Reema) who has been interrogated and tortured on behalf of MI5-MI6. She has escaped Iraq and needs sanctuary as she has a bounty for her recapture. He smuggles-removes her to Malundi and nurses her back to health. She recovers and her story is revealed. The daughter of Saddam’s mentor and half sister to Saddam’s wife, Saddam had treated Reema as his sister.
At the request of the US in 1981, Saddam had sent her future husband to work in Switzerland for 11 years as a currency trader. A cat’s-paw for an ex-CIA American, operating under the instructions of President Reagan. An operation that succeeded in undermining and destroying the USSR by 1991.
The UK intelligence services believed that Ali (and Reema as his wife) had knowledge of billions of dollars that Saddam had hidden. Reema’s husband was killed in the bombing of Bagdad Airport and her children and mother-in-law were killed when the SAS raided their house to collect evidence of the whereabouts of the money. Her only possible living relative is Salwa her sister-in-law.
Matt takes Reema to Bangkok for reconstructive surgery. He goes from pity, to admiration, to awe and then love for this remarkable woman. Matt had instigated a search through his network for Salwa and she is found in a Syrian refugee camp with two child refugees. Their stories from the capture of Fallujah are expressive of the Iraqi experience. Matt brings the whole family to Malundi to live with him.
Being Arabic to the core, Reema and Salwa feel compelled to restore their personal and family honour. Matt rather than let them go alone, undertakes to restore it with/for them. They are his family now, he is theirs.
Honour demands retribution and results in covert military-style operations in London against politicians, police and military.