In February, the committee received information from the finance department that asked questions about the administration of funds allocated for the president’s expenses and the absence of receipts.

In the FIA statutes and regulations, there is no record of how the president’s entitlement should be administered. (…) The Times understands that when Ben Sulayem was asked for receipts, he decided to end all use of his entitlement and, henceforward, to pay his expenses out of his own pocket.

the committee was informed of the president’s suggestion that the $1.5million might be directed instead to a fund for motoring clubs worldwide.

Questions were raised at the audit committee over whether the new use of the $1.5million was appropriate because it was going to clubs around the world who would have a vote when the president sought re-election at the end of 2025.

At the general assembly, Ben Sulayem formally announced the creation of the new “President’s development fund”. On his Zoom call, Badré relayed the audit committee’s feedback.

Bertrand Badré, chairman of the committee, and Tom Purves were terminated last summer three days after Badré raised the issue. Badré, a former managing director of the World Bank, and Purves, the former chief executive of Rolls-Royce and BMW, had been working for the FIA on a pro-bono basis.