The allegedly drunk man suspected of posing as a security screener at San Francisco International Airport long enough to direct a couple of women into a private booth for pat-downs has been identified as a private-equity executive with a big-time international resume.

Eric McLean Slighton, 53, who has addresses in both San Francisco and Hong Kong, was arrested on suspicion of public drunkenness following the bizarre episode at the A-side security checkpoint of the International Terminal about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to law enforcement sources.

At the time he was detained, Slighton was carrying business cards from Aktis Capital Singapore, a private equity firm that lists him as one of the firm’s four partners.

Before that, according to the company’s website, he was managing director of Barclays Capital in Hong Kong and Deutsche Bank in Hong Kong — where he was “charged with transforming the bank’s Asia branch business into an international investment banking franchise.’’

Neither Slighton nor officials at Aktis could be reached immediately for comment.

But the suspect’s father, Robert Slighton, contacted in New York, told us he was “extremely shocked” by the allegations.

“There was a time in the past when he had drinking problem, but that was 10 years ago,” he said. “To the best of my knowledge, he doesn’t drink at this time and he doesn’t drink when he comes here.”

Robert Slighton said his son was supposed to be boarding a flight to Hong Kong at the time he was detained.

“I am shocked he is associated with something like this,” he said.

Besides facing the public drunkenness charge, authorities say, Eric Slighton could be booked on other counts, such as false imprisonment. However, the case has largely gone hush-hush since the federal Transportation Security Administration, which oversees airport security, took over the investigation into how the breach happened.

Law enforcement sources tell us the incident started when Slighton entered the security area wearing khaki pants, a blue polo shirt and blue rubber gloves — an outfit that might have been mistaken for those worn by screeners with the private Covenant security firm.

Slighton, apparently without saying much, steered a woman into one of the private screening booths used to pat down selected passengers, our sources say. What happened inside isn’t known, because the woman, who was Asian, soon disappeared to catch an international flight.

A few minutes later, Slighton allegedly directed a second woman toward the booth, our sources say. This time, however, he caught the attention of real screeners, who figured something was wrong because male screeners are prohibited from taking women into the booth for a pat-down without a female screener also being present.

Covenant screeners detained Slighton until San Francisco police officers arrived. Because officers couldn’t find any women who had actually entered the booth with the fake screener, they booked him only for alleged public drunkenness.

If investigators can track down the alleged victims, however, Slighton could face more serious charges.

The incident raises disturbing questions about who’s screening the screeners at SFO.

“They will be (investigating) this for a week,’’ said one law enforcement source, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak about the case. “Someone has to pay for this.’’

TSA and Covenant reps could not be reached for comment.

As for Slighton, San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said Thursday that the exec was released from county jail Wednesday night “after signing a promise to appear in court for his arraignment” Aug. 18. Slighton has not been charged, pending a report to prosecutors from the Sheriff’s Office.