Brudirect.com - News Headlines

BruneiDirect.Com

Lawyers' Threat To Spill Prince Jefri's 'Secrets'
By MK Anwar

Bandar Seri Begawan - The legal battle involving His Royal Highness Prince Jefri Bolkiah turned nasty when the British couple he sued warned that they would expose Prince Jefri's secrets unless he dropped his attempt to sue them for allegedly swindling $23 million.

This was revealed yesterday in The Times of London newspaper.

Earlier this month, it was reported that Prince Jefri Bolkiah sued two Britons in a US court, saying that they conned him out of millions of dollars through property scams.

Prince Jefri, who counts the Palace Hotel in New York among his personal assets claims Faith Zaman and her husband Thomas William Derbyshire conned him by posing as English lawyers.

The New York Palace Hotel in New York is among the assets claimed by Brunei Investment Agency (BIA) from him and required to be transferred following a settlement that was signed by Prince Jefri in May 2000.

According to foreign news reports about the lawsuit filed in Manhattan, Prince Jefri had hired the pair as attorneys in 2004.

Advertisement

Your browser does not support inline frames or is currently configured not to display inline frames.

They were paid $1 million a year and Ms Zaman had also assumed several high-level positions in companies in charge of Prince Jefri's vast real estate holdings.

The Manhattan lawsuit accuses lawyer Thomas Derbyshire and his wife, Faith Zaman, of concocting a scheme to rake in a $40 million brokerage commission from the sale of the hotels by moving the cash to a company they controlled called Permount.

Prince Jefri meanwhile has disclosed several detailed information on the $1 million both Mr. Derbyshire and Ms. Zaman had spent using corporate credit cards that were given to them.

These include $30,000 that was spent by Ms Zaman in one day at a New York jeweller and a $420 `professional service' for Mr Derbyshire at the Singing Star Tattoo Service in Venice, California.

Other items includes a $7,200 eye exam and eye wear, $14,894 worth of `building materials', $986 worth of Emporio Armani clothing, $55 at Hooters Restaurant in California, charges from visits to MacDonalds and many more jewellery and apparels. Brian Socolow, a New York attorney, has told a US court that after Prince Jefri began his action, the Prince's lawyers received an email from Ms Zaman and Mr Derbyshire stating that, unless the complaint was withdrawn, they would `disclose to the world' privileged and confidential information relating to plaintiff Prince Jefi Bolkiah's legal, business and family dealings the Times of London reported.

Lawyers from the BIA were also reported to have gone to the High Court to try to get documents relating to the wrangle. They were said to be present at a hearing where Mr Derbyshire and Ms Zaman were seeking to overturn an English court order freezing their assets the report added.

In a ruling in March this year, the Brunei High Court ruled that the BIA was entitled to orders against HRH Prince Jefri to enforce the terms of the settlement agreement, which Prince Jefi had consistently refused to comply.

In a judgment, Chief Justice, Dato Seri Paduka Mohammed Saied on March 1st 2006, rejected claims by Prince Jefri that the settlement agreement signed in May 2000 was no longer enforceable.

Prince Jefri was required to transfer to the BIA the assets, which he had agreed to transfer under the settlement. BIA in a press release following the judgment said that they intend to return to court to ask for appropriate orders to enforce compliance, should HRH Prince Jefri fail to transfer such assets.

The BIA had consistently maintained that the settlement agreement was valid and binding and that Prince Jefri needed to comply in full with its terms and the Chief Justice's ruling vindicates that position. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

Click Here To Have Your Say On This Story

Brudirect.com News

Back to News Page

Write to Us

Brunei's Fastest Growing Website with