Watches, Walking Sticks, Hummers and Handguns
A $6 million binge landed a Saudi ambassador in court.
LONDON, Nov. 22, 2007 — -- Two karaoke machines, 43 watches worth more than $700,000, a $25,000 trip to the Swarovski shop in Vienna — these are just some of the items mentioned in a court case that has London's diplomatic and media circles buzzing.
And the Saudi ambassador to Britain, Prince Mohammed bin Nawwaf bin Abdul Aziz, is at the center of it.
A British court handed down a judgment against the 54-year-old ambassador saying he ignored an order to reimburse Walid El Hage, his former private secretary, for $6 million in bills el Hage says he rang up on orders from his ex- boss.
Although the amount spent is astronomical by most standards, what is especially noteworthy is the sheer variety of expenses supposedly run up by the ambassador, a nephew of the Saudi King Abdullah.
There are the expected bills for hotel rooms, flight tickets and assorted travel expenses. But the shopping list also includes some rather unconventional and expensive items.
There are the 34 antique walking sticks, valued at $68,000. Then there are the ivory tusks, ivory sword, bow and arrow that reportedly cost more than $70,000.
In addition, a bevy of pets were reportedly purchased, including a parrot, a mynah bird and even a Persian chinchilla cat, complete with cages and pet food costing $6,856.
A visit to the French designer Jeanne Lanvin rang up $250,000, according to court documents.
Then there was a pit stop at luxury goods store Hermes, where the ambassador is reported to have picked up a watch and a Birkin handbag in crocodile skin, which set him back by almost $28,000.
He was fortunate to get his hands on the Birkin. Demand for the bag, reported to be Victoria Beckham's favorite, is so high that even the waiting list for it is now closed.
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