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Bob Marley, Lee Chin on Forbes billionaires list

By YOLANDE GYLES, Freelance Writer

WHAT DO MICHAEL Lee Chin and Bob Marley have in common? Well, aside from the obvious - both are prominent Jamaican men - they have also both made leading business magazine, Forbes lists.

Lee Chin is currently ranked at number 243 among the richest persons in the world, while Marley is ninth on the list of top earning dead celebrities.

The 2005 list of the world's 691 billionaires on which Lee Chin is named was published by the magazine this week. Lee Chin's list is topped by Bill Gates, founder of computing software conglomerate Microsoft.

Meanwhile reggae legend Marley's ranking comes from 2004; the 2005 list is yet to be released.

Lee Chin ­ owner of local finance conglomerate National Commercial Bank (NCB), Trinidad and Tobago based Total Finance bank and one of Canada's leading mutual fund companies' AIC ­ is said by the magazine to have a total net worth of US $2.5 billion.

On the 2004 list he was ranked at number 216 with US$2.4 billion. He first entered the Forbes' World's Richest List in 2001 ranked at number 490 with a net worth of US$1 billion. In 2002, he jumped to number 413, with a net worth of US$ 1.1 billion and leapt again the following year to number 303 with a net worth of US$1.4 billion.

Meanwhile, Marley, 23 years after his death earned some US$7 million through the continued marketing of products bearing his image, sale of his music and endorsements. The list with Marley was topped by rock and roll musician Elvis Presley.

In 2003, Marley's estate made him significantly more money with US$9 million but his rank remained the same at number nine. In 2002, the second time the list was published, Marley was at number eight with earnings of US$10 million, while in 2001 he was two places higher at sixth with the same US$10 million in earnings.