[1] He also served as chairman of the Brunei Investment Agency (BIA) which invests much of the country's wealth[4] and was responsible for overseas investments. sent a letter to Zaman informing her that the B.I.A. Prince Jefri would like to meet you, said Maggistro, and Derbyshire says he entered a dimly lit drawing room where the prince was holding hands with Micha Raines, whom he had met in a Las Vegas hotel, and with whom he would soon have a child. In his testimony, he gave only the briefest answers. Bahar, for his 16th birthday, received $400 million. 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. "She has been kept very secret," said Wayne Tempero, one of Prince Jefri's New Zealand-based bodyguards. After winning before the Privy Council, the BIA asked the court to determine whether Prince Jefri should be held in contempt of court for allegedly making misstatements in his listing of assets. ), Zaman and Derbyshire later alleged that they had unearthed documents showing that the hotel had been making large payments to individuals and companies that performed no services that they could determine. The defense finally reached its limit when attorney Peder Garske, questioning Zaman, was repeatedly interrupted and muzzled while asking about her personal background. Rod Stewart performed at one of Hakeems birthdays, and when Bahar turned nine, the sultan threw a bash at Claridges in London, transforming a ballroom into a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle headquarters. and theres a freezing order in place. was reviving proceedings against the prince, refreezing assets in his name, leaving him without access to monies that were in his direct accounts, says Chalk. In its way, this case begins like a fairy tale, Jefris lawyer Linda Goldstein, a fast-talking whippet of a New York City litigator, told the jury in her opening argument. Baca Juga: Timnas U-23 Bakal Jajal Pemain Terkaya Dunia di Piala Asia U-23. 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. According to his Wikipedia page, his current net worth is $1.5 billion. They were livid with me and told me that unless I acted in accordance with their instructions, I would not only lose my job, but they would ruin me by destroying my reputation so that I would never work again, she wrote in an affidavit. Three years later he made him minister of finance. Celebrating a court victory with fellow barristers in a private dining room at No. According to legend, the House of Grimaldi - the royal family of Monaco - is victim to a 700-year-old curse that says "Never will a Grimaldi find . Then they moved the carsa total of about 2,300. Following the couples legal victory, Mark Seal gets an exclusive on the story the jury didnt hear. Jefri doesn't currently have 5 wives. Mohamed loved to buzz Prince Jefris palace in his helicopter, and Prince Jefri decided that the thing to do would be to have these life-size statues made and put them around the pool. She claims in an affidavit that she paid consulting fees to Princes Hakeem and Bahar of between $500,000 and $1.5 million a month. Casa De Meadows Inc. v. Faith F. Zaman, 601685- 2007, New York State Supreme Court (Manhattan), Last edited on 25 February 2023, at 21:26, YAM Pengiran Muda Haji Abdul Hakeem Bolkiah, List of honours of the Bruneian Royal Family by country, Royal Family Order of the Crown of Brunei, Order of Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, "Istiadat Berkhatan Bagi Dua Orang Putera2 Baginda Di-Langsongkan Hari Ini", "Is the party over for runaway billionaire Prince Jefri of Brunei? I studied the diminutive prince on the witness stand, with his dark business suit, swept-back hair, and copper complexion. [44][45] After nearly six weeks of trial, the jury returned a unanimous verdict[46] against the Prince on all but one count. [4], The decision of the Privy Council did not end the litigation between Prince Jefri and the BIA. [2] Prince Jefri was the finance minister of his oil-rich country from 1986 to 1997. (Of Jefris alleged trickle feeding, Stewart says, He didnt need to, since he had a setup with the New York Palace that paid his company Argent enough to cover his expenses. He had no credit card, no checkbook, no liquid assets, and he said he relied upon the generosity of family members and friends who supported him financially. KC del Rosario is the daughter of Brunei's Prince Jefri Bolkiah and Filipino wife Evangeline del Rosario. Nutting won an adjournment of the sultans case against Jefri until the following February. . The next day the hairdresser picked up the couple in a convertible Bentley Jefri had given him and drove them to St. Johns Lodge, in the Inner Circle of Regents Park, which, next to Buckingham Palace, is the grandest residence in London. 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. It's a royal wedding in Brunei that of Princess 'Azemah Ni'matul Bolkiah and Prince Bahar ibni Jefri Bolkiah. assets. The reason was there was no money.), Zamans job as managing director included dealing with the princes familyfour wives and 18 childrenand their friends, few of whom carried cash or credit cards and, even if they did, often preferred that their charges go on the companys or Zamans credit cards. The popular Faiq is among the Southeast Asian athletes who are in the country to compete in the 30th Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games). Maybe Windsor.) The attorney added that the sultan and the B.I.A. The sultan was picking up not only his brothers legal fees but also the Derbyshires, owing to their role as officers of Prince Jefris Delaware-based entities, which provided indemnities and paid legal fees in work-related claims. He claimed that one of his previous attorneys had taken out the mortgage and sold the properties without his consent. [4], An independent investigation was undertaken into the circumstances of these special transfers, concluding that in round figures, US$14.8 billion were paid to the accounts of Prince Jefri, US$8 billion to accounts of the Sultan and US$3.8 billion for Government purposes; the destination, purpose and recipients of the remaining transfers were not established. Jefri then hosted a second wedding for Hamidah in the ballroom of Londons Grosvenor House, near the Dorchester, the sultans hotel. When two British lawyers, Faith Zaman and Thomas Derbyshire, signed on in 2004 to manage the affairs of Prince Jefri Bolkiah, notorious playboy brother of the Sultan of Brunei, they entered a world of orgiastic wealth: 250 companies, 2,000 cars, luxury hotels, planeloads of women and polo ponies, colossal diamonds. KEY POINTS: Her parents owned a corner dairy - now Claire Kelly is living the lifestyle of the rich and famous as the wife of a royal billionaire. Puan Salma binti Abdullah ne Claire Kelly; Puan Jamilah Binti Abdullah; Anak: Pangeran Muda Abdul Hakeem; Pangeran Muda Abu Bahar; Putri Hamidah Jamalul Bolkiah; Pangeran . Faisal said the incident happened during dinnertime on Sunday, at the hotel in Manila where they are billeted. Run by a royal family that established a kingdom in Brunei some 650 years ago, the first sultan, Muhammad Shah (Alak Betatar) was installed in c.1363. According to Derbyshire, Jefri sent Zaman and him to the wedding as his emissaries, and they sat at the family tables inside the sultans palace. In late April 2008, a New York court officially transferred control of what was believed to be Prince Jefris last major asset, the New York Palace, to the B.I.A. Landing at midnight, Zaman went straight to the Palace and collected her belongings, even though hotel officials had called her to say she couldnt remove anything from her office unless Jefris London attorney was present. He was ordered to leave [the palaces] because he no longer owned them.). Peleus Press. Facing a potential two-year prison term for refusing to divulge his bank accounts, Jefri lay low in his five-star hotels and palatial homes until he finally reconciled with his brother and returned to Brunei, with an alibi for at least a small portion of the lost fortune: he hadnt spent all of the money, he said; his lawyers Faith Zaman and Thomas Derbyshire had stolen at least $23 million of it in seven breaches of trust, the seven frauds, which his attorneys would detail in court and which Zaman and Derbyshire would contend were schemes to funnel money through them to benefit the prince. I was paid a salary when I was working for him and then as a fiance I was given gifts, Raines testified at the trial. The 81-year-old judge was a well-known veteran of the courts. [citation needed]. He just wanted new representation. Samantha Richelle stars in the new WGN America series 'Almost Paradise' set in the Philippines. . Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei's daughter had a week-long wedding. His modus operandi has been to try to salt away or realize assets which are frozen, then try to blame his advisors if he is caught out, Thomas Derbyshire wrote in an affidavit in December 2006 in response to a supplemental U.K. lawsuit Jefri filed to freeze the couples assets. But there is no information about his daughter. However, Richard Chalk, the B.I.A. Most people believed that the sultan was running the show, and that Jefri had been forced to testify as punishment for dragging his family through years of embarrassment. The revelations that have leaked from Prince Harrys memoir, How Screwed Are Donald Trump and His Adult Children, and Other Questions You Might Have About the Staggering Fraud Lawsuit Against Them. Dayang Siti Mariam binti Awang Muhammad Aqil, 17. Now hes going to go and bus tables?, In October 2009, Jefri returned to Brunei, staying in a hotel until his residence was ready. He has had five wives, four of whom he is divorced from and 1 to whom he is still married,[7] and eighteen children[citation needed] aged between around 4 to 37 in 2008. In order to give them full and absolute authority to act on his behalf, the prince granted them power of attorney. [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. Is there any chance this could lead to prison time? Pengiran Muda Besar Muhammad Jamalul Alam, Dayang Puan Jefridah binti Mohammed Louis, Pengiran Anak (Princess) Hamidah Jamalul Bolkiah, Awang Hassan Al Muklis Kiko Jefri Bolkiah. My duty as a subject and a Wazir was to obey any commands of His Majesty Accordingly, when His Majesty indicated in 1998 that he wished assets under my control to be transferred to the Plaintiffs [the B.I.A.] by means of the special transfers. Jefri Bolkiah was born in Brunei Town, Brunei on November 6, 1954.. On Popular Bio, Jefri Bolkiah is one of the successful Royalty. Having no reason to disbelieve Prince Jefri, Derbyshire and Zaman say, they continued to petition the courts on his behalf, eventually winning a ruling that he was indeed the owner of the New York Palace. Because only a member of the British Queens Counsel can be heard in Brunei courts, and because the Derbyshires contend that by then many of Jefris lawyers refused to work for him, owing to not being paid, the couple enlisted Sir John Nutting, a friend of Prince Charless, to travel with them to Brunei. Prince Harry on Williams Hairline and Their Wicked Stepmother. The brothers routinely traveled with 100-member entourages and emptied entire inventories of stores such as Armani and Versace, buying 100 suits of the same color at a time. Jefri Bolkiah's daughter's name is Hamidah Jamalul Bolkiah. [4] Due to the secretive nature of the state and the blurred lines as to where the royal familys finances and the state finances began and ended, establishing the true course of events is very difficult. He claimed that he never signed checks and that his business affairs had been managed entirely by four private secretaries and a coterie of advisers and attorneys, who ran his estimated 250 companies and all his other concerns. In repossessing the Brunei properties of Jefri and his family, the sultan had finally gotten the upper hand. Hes 55 or so. He bought mansions around the world, 1700 luxury cars, 17 aircraft, hoards of jewellery and a fleet of yachts - including a 60m superyacht he called Tits. Prince Jefri is the youngest brother of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah (the 29th Sultan of Brunei and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam). The lawyers argued that Zaman and Derbyshire had stolen nothing, and that the princes charges against them were part of an elaborate scheme to funnel money through them in all manner of nefarious ways to fuel his insatiable need for cash. Nation. Princess 'Azemah, 38, is the daughter of . Born on 6 November 1954 in Malaysia, Jefri Bolkiah, Prince of Brunei started his career as royal . I am late for a meeting. She adds, Robin [the pseudonym Jefri insisted his lovers call him] was always famished behind the eyes. In 1983 the sultan appointed Jefri head of the Brunei Investment Agency (B.I.A. BruneiTales of Brunei's prince Jefri Bolkiah are numerous including salacious stories of his "harem". He has no concept of money that Ive seen. Diamonds and gold were sold through brokers in Britain, according to Derbyshire and Zaman. HRH Prince Haji Jefri Bolkiah was born 1954. would claim was squirreled away in bank accounts and shell companies registered in remote tax havens. She's the daughter of billionaire Prince Jefri Bolkiah, brother of the current Sultan of Brunei . Vanity Fair may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Jefri claimed that the sultan had authorized all withdrawals (It is inconceivable that this $40 billion could have been withdrawn without anyone having noticed it over the previous 15 years, he wrote); the sultan countered that Jefri had embezzled the money. 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. [20] In July 1998 the Amadeo group collapsed under US$10 billion in debt. It was a massive wedding, says Derbyshire, who also attended that one with Zaman. Prince Jefri doesn't want jurors to see pics .. "British Lawyers Represented by Baker & Hostetler LLP Prevail in Legal Battle With the Sultan of Brunei and Prince Jefri Bolkiah", "British couple win legal dispute with Sultan of Brunei's playboy brother", "Brunei prince loses embarrassing lawsuit against financial advisers", "Senarai Penuh Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat Persekutuan Tahun 1989", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jefri_Bolkiah,_Prince_of_Brunei&oldid=1141596846, Duli Yang Teramat Mulia Pengiran Digadong Sahibul Mal Pengiran Muda Haji Jefri Bolkiah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar Ali Saifuddien Sa'adul Khairi Waddien, YAM Pengiran Anak Abdul Halim Ar- Rahman Bolkiah, 17. In July 1998 the Amadeo group collapsed under US $ 10 billion in.... His 16th birthday, received $ 400 million sultans hotel products that are purchased through our site as of... Letter to Zaman informing her that the B.I.A Richelle stars in the Philippines a court victory with barristers... 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