Mystery surrounds Ramesh Balwani, the former right-hand man and ex-boyfriend of Theranos chief executive Elizabeth Holmes.
Holmes was convicted in the US on Monday of defrauding investors in her blood-testing start-up. The high-profile case is being viewed as an indictment of Silicon Valley culture.
In her testimony, the fallen US biotech mogul accused Mr Balwani of being abusive.
Who is Ramesh Balwani?
Mr Balwani, more often referred to as Sunny, was born in 1965 in Pakistan to a Sindhi Hindu family who emigrated to the US. He studied information systems at the University of Texas at Austin.
Mr Balwani got his start in software as a sales manager for Microsoft. From there, and from what little is known about him, he moved to the dot-com world in the early 1990s where he joined a company called CommerceBid.com.
CommerceBid.com, at which he was president, was a platform created to drive down the cost of suppliers by creating a bidding war. According to reports, the young company was quickly bought for $225 million by a rival: Commerce One. Commerce One eventually went public and was valued at almost $20 billion.
Just a few years later the company became a victim of the dot-com bubble and collapsed. According to reports at the time, Mr Balwani left the defunct business with almost $40m.
When did he meet Elizabeth Holmes?
Little is known about Mr Balwani in the years between the failure of Commerce One and his eventual connection with Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos. What is known is that the two met while Mr Balwani, then aged 37, was pursuing a master's degree in computer science at Stanford University. Mr Balwani is said to have dropped out of the programme in 2008.
In 2009, he joined Holmes's company as president, taking on the day-to-day running of the business. He later became chief operating officer and had a romantic relationship with Holmes, which has been detailed in emails submitted to the court.
What did Holmes say in her trial?
In her testimony, Holmes made graphic and disturbing allegations that Mr Balwani verbally and sexually abused her. Although these accusations are unlikely to play a part in his own trial, the conversations between Holmes and Mr Balwani are expected to play a major role in the government's case that the two were co-conspirators.
Mr Balwani faces fraud charges, with his case scheduled to go trial next year. He has pleaded not guilty.
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Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229
iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649
iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179
Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
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'Gold'
Director:Anthony Hayes
Stars:Zaf Efron, Anthony Hayes
Rating:3/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
If you go
Flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh with a stop in Yangon from Dh3,075, and Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Phnom Penh with its partner Bangkok Airlines from Dh2,763. These trips take about nine hours each and both include taxes. From there, a road transfer takes at least four hours; airlines including KC Airlines (www.kcairlines.com) offer quick connecting flights from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville from about $100 (Dh367) return including taxes. Air Asia, Malindo Air and Malaysian Airlines fly direct from Kuala Lumpur to Sihanoukville from $54 each way. Next year, direct flights are due to launch between Bangkok and Sihanoukville, which will cut the journey time by a third.
The stay
Rooms at Alila Villas Koh Russey (www.alilahotels.com/ kohrussey) cost from $385 per night including taxes.
Fighting with My Family
Director: Stephen Merchant
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Nick Frost, Lena Headey, Florence Pugh, Thomas Whilley, Tori Ellen Ross, Jack Lowden, Olivia Bernstone, Elroy Powell
Four stars
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
SUZUME
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Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
