Ben Pollner

Education

In 1963, he graduated from Wagner College with a Bachelor of Science Between 1965 and 1968 he attended the New York University Graduate School of Business Administration.

Career

In Chemistry. Ben Pollner held various positions in industrial companies until joining the Steuber Corporation in 1970 when he commenced his international marketing, transport and trading activities in the bulk petrochemical industry. In the 1990s, he worked for David B. Chalmers Junior at Bayoil Petroleum. Oil for Food program

Pollner"s company, Taurus Petroleum was responsible for over $4 billion in Oil-for-Food deals with Iraq.

Under the program, oil was purchased from Iraq and resold to large refiners in exchange for food.

Pollner, through his company Taurus Petroleum, purchased the majority of the oil from two companies in Geneva, Switzerland, Fenar Petroleum and Alcon Petroleum (both registered in Liechtenstein in 1999). Fenar and Alcon were among the largest oil purchasers under the Oil-for-Food program exporting a combined $2.47 billion in crude oil.

lieutenant was alleged that Pollner in fact, either controlled or owned both companies. Fenar and Alcon were alleged to have funneled $18.9 million in kickbacks to the regime of Saddam Hussein, in the form of surcharges on oil purchases.

Taurus has denied paying the surcharges.

In response to the investigation, Pollner stated: "I did nothing in New York or the United States. that would be considered illegal." Pollner was never indicted. Broker for Ecuadorian oil

Taurus Petroleum also functions as a broker of oil from Ecuador, working in conjunction with PetroChina. Ben Pollner is active in various charitable functions including the T. Anthony Pollner Distinguished Professorship and FACES (Finding a Cure for Epilepsy and Seizures).

Achievements

• He is the founder of Taurus Petroleum, based in Geneva, created in 1993, and remains its chairman and chief executive officer

Membership

Pollner is a member of a small group of top oil and mineral traders who were under the tutelage of one-time fugitive financier Marc Rich. Pollner has been a member of the American Petroleum Institute (API), the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association (NPRA) and the European Petrochemical Association.