[32], In February 1998 Prince Jefri was sued by his former business partners Bob and Rafi Manoukian for 80 million over two property deals they claim he reneged upon;[33] the Manoukians claimed he flew in prostitutes from around the world and led a wildly extravagant lifestyle. attorney Richard Chalk. He claimed that one of his previous attorneys had taken out the mortgage and sold the properties without his consent. They were helping to try and see which assets could be utilized for the purpose of raising fundswhich werent caught by the freezing injunction., We agreed that we would work for the same basic retainer that he paid his previous legal adviser, a British barrister, which he calculated would be around $8 million a year, plus expenses, says Derbyshire, adding, He got two people for the same price, and he was delighted with it. (Geoffrey Stewarts response: Prince Jefri insists that the payment was $2 million apiece for the two lawyers, including expenses, and that it was Derbyshires idea to include Zaman, who Jefri claims was not a practicing barrister at the timeshe was a legal advisor to me more than anything else.), He told us he could not pay us immediately, because he didnt have a bank account that wasnt frozen, says Derbyshire. It was very nice to know you, he said. I met Prince Jefri today, Derbyshire told his 27-year-old fiance, Faith Zaman, who had recently been laid off from a job at an investment bank. The defense finally reached its limit when attorney Peder Garske, questioning Zaman, was repeatedly interrupted and muzzled while asking about her personal background. According to Derbyshire, Jefri had instructed that all these possessions be taken to Gurkha-guarded warehouses, where they would be crated and shipped to other locations, then marketed. Three of Jefris wristwatches, gem-encrusted and reportedly worth more than $850,000 total, were sold in November 2009 in Londons Hatton Gardens jewelry quarter. and theres a freezing order in place. But Claire was a lovely girl too, not stuck up at all," remembered one. [1] He also served as chairman of the Brunei Investment Agency (BIA) which invests much of the country's wealth [3] and was responsible for . BMW - 209 cars. Nearly a decade ago, the Taranaki woman, now in her mid-30s, packed her bags for the bright lights of Paris and later married playboy Prince Jefri Bolkiah, a Brunei royal with a penchant for fast cars and flash houses. If there was any hiding of assets, it was done by his lawyer advisers. Jefris corporate structures were set up by tax accountants in the 1980s, says Stewart, when Jefri was still on good terms with the sultan, to help keep taxes down. As for allegations of hidden art, cars, and jewels, he says, Ive certainly never seen it. Their attorney called him a man of unlimited tastes, a one-man walking market, who bought practically everything he saw, including a rug woven with jewels in threads of solid gold ($7 million), 10 jewel-encrusted wristwatches that depicted on the hour a couple copulating ($8 million), and similarly erotic fountain pens ($1.3 million). He had no access to money himself. Princess Azemah and her new husband, Prince Bahar ibni Jefri Bolkiah, kicked off their week of wedding celebrations in the independent sultanate on the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia on January 8. "When you discovered these both are Brunei Princesses, the daughter of Jefri Bolkiah with his second wife dan kau macam amaze sekali," tulis seorang pengguna Twitter, Januar Haikal. Also Known As: Hassanal Bolkiah ibni Omar Ali Saifuddien III. Faiq has also served as the captain of the Brunei National Football Team. Its about the claim that the two lawyers breached their fiduciary obligations and Im going to limit the evidence to that issue.. Its not about lifestyle, its not about sex. ), When Derbyshire presented his findings to the prince, he stated in an affidavit, Jefri had an easy explanation. Not only were his two sons being booted from their palaces, but his eldest daughter, married to my sisters son, pregnant with a child, was effectively being evicted from her home as well. And as the newest wife, you know that Claire is the one who has to perform the most wifely duties. . suspicion. His elder brother is the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah. Of the couples contention that Prince Bahar signed both leases, Jefri insisted that Bahar didnt recall signing either one. An infuriated Judge Gammerman promptly issued a gag order, forbidding attorneys and witnesses to speak to reporters. Derbyshire won the case for Bahar and Maggistro, worth $1.6 million, he says, and they were impressed enough to mention him to the Boss, as intimates call Prince Jefri. The Twitter user also shared some photos of the Brunei Royal's children and their lifestyle, much to the surprise of many. On this October 1985 cover, Diana, Princess of Wales, is seen wearing the stunning Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara, a wedding present from the Queen on the occasion of Dianas July 1981 marriage to the Prince of Wales. Once, he asked me about the Macys Thanksgiving Day parade. There were insufficient monies to fund the commitments entered into by A.D.C. He met the prince after answering the phone in his North London salon near closing time one day. He was also accused by his brother of embezzling $15 billion from the Brunei Investment Agency which resulted in a protracted legal battle that played out in the UK courts. I never even knew of the existence of the third-floor apartment at The New York Palace Hotel, he wrote in an affidavit. Published on January 25, 2023 03:47 PM. Although I understand that he often signed whatever was put in front of him by Ms. Zaman, he wrote in an affidavit. Prince Jefri Bolkiah was the Minister of Finance of Brunei until he resigned in February 1997. According to Geoffrey Stewart, Prince Jefri is appealing. [16], Prince Jefri has had a number of legal issues with the state of Brunei, which have amounted to the most costly legal battle in the world. "Her story is phenomenal, but so is Claire," Bolger said from Australia yesterday. wasnt just insolventit was, the investigators claimed, more than $590 million in debt. When Garske dared to shoot back, May I represent my client?, Gammerman exploded. He's locked in a legal battle with his elder brother Hassanal Bolkiah, the Sultan of Brunei, over claims he funded his playboy lifestyle with $18 billion from his homeland's royal treasury. Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien had 10 children, six daughters and four sons, with several wives, but chose Bolkiah to succeed him from an early age. [1] Prince Jefri never knew she had a credit card, either); a $28,000 Cartier watch Zaman bought for one of Bahars girlfriends; a $200,000 diamond-encrusted watch from Jacob & Co. (My wives and children do not require such items to be purchased by either Ms. Zaman or Mr. Derbyshire, Jefri wrote in an affidavit. "I can see how a Prince would find that endearing." [2] Prince Jefri was the finance minister of his oil-rich country from 1986 to 1997. Was Tiffany involved? Back home, the sultan erected a 1,788-room palace on 49 acres, which is without equal in the world for offensive and ugly display, in the words of one British magnate, and celebrated his 50th birthday with a blowout featuring a concert by Michael Jackson, who was reportedly paid $17 million, in a stadium built for the occasion. He has, for instance, been sued by a former US model over charges that he used her as a "sex slave". From his gold Cartier watch (35,000, a present from my brother) to his 1,000 Gucci suit, the 38-year-old entrepreneurs style is pure Eurocash, wrote one London newspaper in 2002. He greeted them in the lobby, and they presented letters of introduction and their power of attorney and requested to review the books. According to Geoffrey Stewart, the prince is conflict averse. Stewart speculates, Any kind of public proceeding sooner or later would get back to the B.I.A. entire inventories of stores such as Armani and Versace, buying 100 Ed Pilkington in New York @edpilkington. Entire companies had allegedly been omitted, as had account numbers and balances for the princes multiple bank accounts. He was also Chairman of BIA until removed, together with the rest of the Board, by the Sultan of Brunei on 16 July 1998. Prince Jefri Bolkiah, full name His Royal Highness Pengiran Digadong Sahibul Mal Pengiran Muda Jefri Bolkiah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar Ali Saifuddien Sa'adul Khairi Waddien [1] (born 6 November 1954), is a member of the Brunei Royal Family. Koenigsegg - 134 cars. . [citation needed] He denies the charges but in 2000 agreed to hand over his personal holdings to the government, in return for avoiding criminal prosecution and being allowed to keep a personal residence in Brunei. formally instructed K.P.M.G. The sale would be a breach of the Brunei freezing order, which Derbyshire says he explicitly explained to Jefri, thinking that the deal would be off. We have a very amicable chat, and he says he is going to his office and will be with us again in a few minutes, says Derbyshire. Just visit there, he said to describe his duties at a Hong Kong shipping company, one of the many concerns from which he received a salary. Should the sultan ever be successful in taking over the hotel, he would have to deal with them for the rest of his life. (The manifest on his 747 usually comprised mostly young women.) When he failed to respond to a British summons in 2008, the court issued a bench warrant for his arrest. Its called trickle feeding: selling off assets bit by bit, in this case to avoid B.I.A. But despite once being one of the wealthiest men in the world, Prince Jefri has told the Wall Street Journal he fears becoming homeless and forced into bankruptcy. Zaman, meanwhile, claimed that the two boxes contained personal effects, most notably an urn holding the ashes of her unborn son, whom she had lost to a miscarriage during her time in the princes employ. On 8 July 1998 the B.I.A. Jefri Bolkiah; Menteri Keuangan; Periode: 20 Oktober 1986 - 23 Februari 1997: Pendahulu: Hassanal Bolkiah: Penerus: Hassanal Bolkiah: Informasi pribadi. Celebrating a court victory with fellow barristers in a private dining room at No. Kiss his hand, he replied. He was [Bruneis] finance minister for a reason: he is a very, very smart man, says Zaman. As word spread of the sultans gaping wallet, merchants from all corners of the globe swarmed into Brunei, selling him practically everything they had to offer17 private jets, thousands of luxury cars, what one diamond dealer called a Smithsonian of major jewels, and a trove of art masterpieces, including a Renoir for a record $70 million. Bahar, for his 16th birthday, received $400 million. Quick Facts. Jefri doesn't currently have 5 wives. I need someone who is loyal, Zaman recalls Jefri saying. There is a lot, he answered when asked how many companies were in his name. It would be the biggest honor of my life if I was permitted to sleep with Jefri, because he is half-man, half-god, like Jesus Christ to the Christians, Marketic said an aide to the prince had told her. (Stewarts response: Much less. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. According to Derbyshire, Jay became the royal hairdresser when Jefri was Bruneis minister of finance, and he flew Jay all over the world.. seven figures each. The staff alone would be a quarter-million dollars a month.. All rights reserved. The jury awarded Zaman and Derbyshire $21 million in back wages and damages and allowed the couple to walk away not only with their money but also with their reputations intact. The defendants claimed that he had used his stolen billions to finance a 10-year orgy of extravagance and deceit, which culminated only when his brother the Sultan of Brunei set out to recover the fortune Jefri had supposedly hidden. Discover your ancestry - search Birth, Marriage and Death certificates, census records, immigration lists and other records - all in one family search! They also contended that the prince gave them a second lease, also at a low price, for the Maloney & Porcelli steak house on the hotels ground floor, on East 50th Street. Even more alarming, a $30 million mortgage had been taken out on the hotel. I thought there was no time to lose, Jefri wrote of sending Derbyshire, Zaman, and Jay Maggistro to the New York Palace. ), Zaman handled her duties well, by many accounts, maximizing occupancy, improving profits, and, most important, approving invoices for consulting fees of approximately $1.3 million a month submitted by a company called Argent International, which she was told was owned by Prince Bahar. I do not recall him mentioning having any difficulties in retaining solicitors or any problem with clean funds.), Why did Derbyshire and Zaman continue to work without payment, as they claim? Armed troops searched Jefris palace, and he was ordered to turn over his passport until he signed a settlement agreement in which he promised to return assets including over 600 properties, over 2,000 cars, over 100 paintings, 5 boats and 9 aircraft, as well as billions of dollars in possessions he had stored in 21 warehouses. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. It takes around an hour to 1.5 hours for many of these cars to be brought out, since the garage has the size of five aircraft hangars or ten football fields (combined). "She has been kept very secret," said Wayne Tempero, one of Prince Jefri's New Zealand-based bodyguards. Diamonds and gold were sold through brokers in Britain, according to Derbyshire and Zaman. [22] In 2001, ten thousand lots of Prince Jefris possessions went to auction. Since marrying the Prince and raising their children, she spends most of her time at luxurious homes in Paris or London, where armed guards patrol the perimeter of St John's Lodge in exclusive Regent's Park. Then he didnt return, says Zaman. At one point, according to Derbyshire, when Jefri said he was desperate for untainted funds, Derbyshire even returned $600,000 that the prince had reimbursed him for expenses, so that Jefri could pay other lawyers who were threatening to stop their work in defending him against the sultan and the B.I.A. Insofar as Jefris argument that he was entitled to deal with these assets as his own, he was correct. . Jefri Bolkiah disebut memiliki 5 orang istri, 2 diantaranya telah bercerai. Unimaginable wealth all his life. Ive never seen him add numbers. Jefri was soon told by the assistant to the managing director that Ms. Les Princes Al-Muhtadee Billah Bolkiah et Jefri Bolkiah, deux des fils du Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah pendant la celebration des 25 annees de regne du. It was all done through his legal advisers. (Raines now lives in an $8.5 million house in Las Vegas that Jefri gave her.) The disclosure list provided by Prince Jefri was incomplete and wholly inadequate for a number of reasons, the B.I.A.s lead attorney, Richard Chalk, wrote in an affidavit. I am late for a meeting. She adds, Robin [the pseudonym Jefri insisted his lovers call him] was always famished behind the eyes. Jefri Bolkiah, Faiq Bolkiah's father, is a billionaire. ), The case was settled, but the collateral damage was severe. The B.I.A. Is there any chance this could lead to prison time? N.F.L. Another juror remarked of Jefri and Prince Bahar, To me they looked like Hollywood actors, trying to show us that by being royals they were fooled.. Whenever the prince and his posse were on their way to the disco, a mirrored ball would drop from the ceiling, signaling the women to start dancing. According to Zaman and Derbyshire, the big, burly princes are true heirs to Jefris life of extravagance. Le prince Jefri Bolkiah en tenue de polo, Sultanat de Brunei Darussalam. They snapped up real estate like Monopoly pieceshundreds of far-flung properties, a collection of five-star hotels (the Dorchester, in London, the Htel Plaza Athne, in Paris, the New York Palace, and Hotel Bel-Air and the Beverly Hills Hotel, in Los Angeles), and an array of international companies (including Asprey, the London jeweler to the Queen, for which Jefri paid about $385 million in 1995, despite the fact that that was twice Aspreys estimated market value or that Bruneis royal family constituted a healthy portion of its business). Derbyshire would routinely rush to the airport, where a private plane would fly him off to wherever Jefri had a lawyer, in order to sign papers, retrieve documents, or receive further instructions. Nutting won an adjournment of the sultans case against Jefri until the following February. Prince Jefri did not risk visiting London where he owns St John's Lodge, a spectacular mansion hidden behind huge gates on the Inner Circle of Regent's Park, bought in 1994 for 40 million. When the trial began, in Courtroom 242 of New York Supreme Court last year, those in the know assumed that the louche secrets of Prince Jefris boundless excesses would finally come to light. The first thing that met you was this rock-crystal waterfall, probably 30 to 40 feet high, and in front of it was a life-size statue of Prince Jefri with a polo mallet in solid gold, says Derbyshire. He may have an innocent demeanour, but his father Jefri Bolkiah was known as the playboy of the Brunei royal family. And they wanted a written opinion from me. (Stewart says the UBS Zurich account had been disclosed to the B.I.A., and the B.I.A. Objectively, you can say theres been a history of concealing assets. Sports career [ edit ] [6] His personal holdings included a huge art collection, the British jeweller Asprey, the New York Palace Hotel, Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles and Plaza Athne in Paris. already had, Chalk wrote. Everything is done to protect them." How do you greet your father when you see him?, Jefris youngest son by his first wife, the portly Prince Bahar, 29, was asked. Installed as Paduka Sri Pangiran Bendahara Sri Maharaja Permaisuara, 18 th July 1947. [8], Prince Jefri also owned a network of companies and investment vehicles under the name Amadeo run by his son Hakim,[8] which was used to buy the luxury goods company Asprey and build an amusement park and other projects in Brunei. Jefri then hosted a second wedding for Hamidah in the ballroom of Londons Grosvenor House, near the Dorchester, the sultans hotel. Jefri Bolkiah was born in Brunei Town, Brunei on November 6, 1954.. On Popular Bio, Jefri Bolkiah is one of the successful Royalty. X. 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