The mystery candidate said to be considering running for the Presidency is Mr Farid Khan Kaim Khan. He is the chairman of marine service provider Bourbon Offshore Asia Pacific.
Four men were at the Elections Department on Friday (June 16) to collect application forms for a potential presidential candidate they declined to identify. They would describe him only as a Malay/Muslim man in his early 60s, who is a chairman at a multinational company.
But sources told The Straits Times that the man in question is Mr Farid, 62. They said he is giving serious thought to running for president but has yet to make a decision.
He has been working at Singapore-based Bourbon Offshore Asia Pacific for more than 10 years and is married with two children.
The firm, which employs about 800 workers in the region, is part of French company Bourbon, which has more than 10,000 employees.
Mr Farid is also the director of several other entities, including Greenship Holdings, which is also in the marine sector.
One of the changes for the upcoming presidential election states that private-sector candidates must have run a company with at least $500 million in shareholder equity, to qualify automatically.
The Straits Times understands that the shareholder equity of Greenship Holdings is about US$200 million (S$277 million), while that of Bourbon Offshore Asia Pacific is more than US$300 million.
When contacted, Mr Farid declined to comment.
Source: www.straitstimes.com
