Putra Sampoerna
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Putra Sampoerna (Indonesian: Putera Sampurna) (born in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia) is a Indonesian billionaire, referred to as one of the Indonesian oligarchs. In March 2005 he was listed by Forbes Magazine as the 3rd richest Indonesian and one of the richest people in the world with an estimated fortune of $1.7 billion. Sampoerna is most famous outside of Indonesia as the owner of Mansion, a Gibraltan gambling giant and for his contributions to Chinese enterprises in Shanghai and Hong Kong, reflecting his Chinese origins.
He was the owner of Sampoerna cigarettes company before he sold it to Phillip Morris for $5.4 billion. The sale made him the richest man in Indonesia with $3 billion, netting almost 2 billion US dollars, due to his majority shares at Sampoerna. Putra Sampoerna is also a sponsor of the Sampoerna Foundation which gives scholarship for Master's Degree study abroad for a select number of qualified Indonesians who completed most of their educational training in Indonesia.
[edit] Relationship with Politician
Sampoerna's close relationship with Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and other East Javanese Politician is well known, and some details have been provided Soeharto.
[edit] Other interests and activities
Sampoerna is known as a fan of soccer and is often seen in the stadium at every games; in 2006, after Manchester United owner Malcolm Glaser was seen giving Sampoerna a contract at the Carling cup final, rumours circulated that he was considering investing in or purchasing an Soccer team.
He owns his own private Boeing 747-300 known as "The Purboyo" due to its paint scheme.
Of Chinese background, Sampoerna is a firm supporter of Chinese causes, and has funded several building projects in his own neighbourhood in Shanghai, Hong Kong and in Tokyo.
He owns ten superyachts. The Biggest is Sampoerna Jaya, previously owned by Budi Santoso (the richest man in Indonesia), is 125.277 metres long and carries a 36 metre yacht on board, a helicopter, speedboat and jet skis.
