|
Post by Admin on Oct 20, 2013 23:53:18 GMT
Michael Barrymore’s friendship with Diana, Princess of Wales may have helped lead to the shamed entertainer’s downfall, his ex-wife said today.
Cheryl Barrymore told a newspaper that the pair spent hours together talking, and that the princess told the gay TV star they were alike.
The late princess told him they were unique and that no-one should be allowed to control them ever again, Mrs Barrymore, 50, told the Daily Mail.
Diana paid many visits to Barrymore, famous for shows including Strike It Lucky and Kids Say The Funniest Things, but never wanted his wife to be present at the meetings, she said.
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Oct 20, 2013 23:56:23 GMT
MICHAEL Barrymore's ex is having an affair with an Italian count who already has a beautiful wife. Cheryl Barrymore, 50, turned to millionaire businessman and father-of-four Jay Maggistro for comfort after her marriage fell apart when Michael came out as gay.
And last night a close friend of the couple revealed: "Jay helped her over her heartache and they have been friends ever since. It was strictly platonic, but they have been spending more and more time together. They realised they had strong feelings for each other and they have been an item for the last few months."
According to friends, Jay's beautiful Norwegian wife Velina is aware of his relationship but "understands" the situation.
Generous Jay, 38, a property developer, recently presented Cheryl with a pounds 20,000 platinum Cartier watch on her birthday.
The pair got together after Jay had asked Cheryl to launch his exclusive pounds 50m new night club, Number 5 in London's Cavendish Square.
The friend said: "The idea was he would run the business side of things and she would use her connections in the celebrity world to keep the rich and famous coming through the doors."
Now Jay thinks nothing of lavishing his wealth on Cheryl. He whisked her off to Monaco recently for the Grand Prix where they stayed in the magnificent Hotel de Paris.
On Wednesday they went to the opening of Andrew Lloyd Webber's new musical Bombay Dreams followed by a romantic dinner at celebrity restaurant The Ivy.
On Thursday they were spotted dining at La Cave private dining rooms in Mayfair, owned by Roger Moore's son Geoffrey. The couple didn't leave their VIP seats until the small hours, heading off arm-in-arm to one of Jay's London homes in Harley Street.
"You can tell how much they enjoy one another's company because they laugh and joke the whole time and whisper in each other's ears like young lovers," the friend said. "It's a very tactile relationship and they are incredibly close."
Jay - short for Giacomo - owns a string of upmarket hair salons. He has a pounds 10million home in Mayfair and a choice of four cars - a Ferrari, an Aston Martin, a Lamborghini and a Bentley.
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Oct 21, 2013 0:01:49 GMT
Working for Prince Jefri
It began, as fairy tales often do, with an unforeseen messenger, a London hairdresser named Jay Maggistro, who was something of a celebrity within the London jet set. “From his gold Cartier watch (£35,000, ‘a present from my brother’) to his £1,000 Gucci suit, the 38-year-old entrepreneur’s style is pure Eurocash,” wrote one London newspaper in 2002. He met the prince after answering the phone in his North London salon near closing time one day. “Can you come to cut a boy’s hair on the Bishop’s Avenue?” the caller asked; that was such a tony address that the hairdresser went in person. It was Prince Bahar he had been called about, but within a short time he was styling Prince Jefri too. According to Derbyshire, “Jay became the royal hairdresser when Jefri was Brunei’s minister of finance, and he flew Jay all over the world.”
As Prince Bahar grew, he and his hairdresser forged “an unbreakable friendship,” says Derbyshire. They eventually opened a London hotel, restaurant, and club together, No. 5 Cavendish Square. When the partners were sued in a civil matter, they turned to a rising barrister they had met at No. 5, Thomas Derbyshire, who specialized in cases involving money-laundering and fraud and who was then representing Terry Adams, one of Britain’s most notorious gangsters. 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.
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Oct 21, 2013 0:03:25 GMT
Sultan's brother stole $37.5bn, claim barristers
A TOP British barrister and his wife have told an American court that they entered a world of multimillion-pound subterfuge after being hired by the Sultan of Brunei's brother.
In court documents seen by The Times, Thomas Derbyshire describes Prince Jefri as an embezzler of historic proportions who “tells so many lies he has difficulty remembering them all”.
The couple have sworn affidavits recounting how Prince Jefri admitted stealing $US15 billion ($19.1 billion) from the Brunei Government. They say that in 2000 he promised to return stolen funds in a settlement of an action by the sultanate’s investment wing. According to Mr Derbyshire, $US13 billion is still missing.
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Oct 21, 2013 0:37:01 GMT
Prince Jefri, who was Brunei's finance minister from 1986 to 1997 and managed BIA's funds, resigned in 1998 and was stripped of his post as head of the BIA after Amedeo Development, a company he ran, collapsed, causing a huge rift in the Brunei royal family and large dents in the local economy.
Sources do tell me that Michael Jackson’s return to Las Vegas has something to do with his old pal, Prince Jefri of Brunei. This is not Prince Abdullah of Bahrain or Prince Alaweed of Saudi Arabia. No, Prince Jefri is much loathed in Vegas, and the frequent object of multi-billion dollar international lawsuits. He’s often referred to as the Sultan of Brunei, but he’s really the Sultan’s brother, accused in his own country of huge financial looting.
Prince Jefri has long been one of Jackson’s benefactors. Jackson has lived for free in many of the hotels Jefri used his country’s money to purchase, including the Dorchester in London and the Palace in New York.
When Eric Petersen came to Las Vegas from Northern California in his Volkswagen van 20 years ago, he quickly learned it was the land of opportunity.
Calling himself broke in 1991, the now 44-year-old Petersen said he built his wealth into the low nine-figure range. The economic downturn and collapse in the real estate market has cost Petersen 80 percent of his wealth, and he’s had enough.
“I’m not long to lose any more money,” Petersen said Friday. “I’m getting out with some.”
Petersen, who was recently featured in a Bloomberg story about the wealthy leaving Las Vegas mansions, just left his.
Bought in 2004 for $14 million, Petersen sold his 11-acre estate built by Prince Jefri Bolkiah, brother of the Sultan of Brunei. His sales price was $15 million after it was listed last year at $37.5 million.
The new owner is Treasure Island owner Phil Ruffin, who knows something about buying value. No real estate agent was used in the transaction.
The resort, called Baha Mar, was created by Sarkis Izmirlian, a resident of the exclusive Lyford Cay enclave in the Bahamas.
Izmirlian, whose father made a fortune in the international peanut-farming business, acquired the Wyndham Nassau Resort and Crystal Palace Casino from Las Vegas businessman Phillip Ruffin this past May. Ruffin had purchased the properties 11 years ago from Carnival Cruise Lines
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Oct 21, 2013 0:42:16 GMT
Phillip G. Ruffin is an American businessman. His business interests lie largely in casinos, greyhound racing tracks, oil production, convenience stores, and real estate. Ruffin lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Ruffin has been listed on the Forbes 400 list of the country's richest people multiple times, most recently at #215 in 2008 with a net worth of $2.1 billion.
Bride Aleksandra Nikolaenko, a former Miss Ukraine, wore a Michael Kors gown to her black-tie wedding to casino mogul Phil Ruffin in 2008. Donald Trump served as best man. Among the witnesses to the wedding in The Donald's Palm Beach, Fla., Mar-a-Lago mansion were Celine Dion and Justin Timberlake.
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Oct 21, 2013 0:44:45 GMT
A man found floating in Michael Barrymore's swimming pool was the victim of a serious sexual assault shortly before his death, an inquest heard yesterday. Stuart Lubbock sustained appalling internal injuries during a drug-fuelled party at the entertainer's house. The 31-year-old would have been in 'excruciating pain' after the incident. A pathologist suggested Mr Lubbock - who was three times over the legal drinkdrive limit and had taken drugs including Ecstasy and cocaine - may have been forcibly held down while the alleged assault took place. Professor Jack Crane claimed that the shock could have caused him to suffer heart failure and die. Until now it had been widely believed Mr Lubbock, a factory supervisor, had drowned. Prof Crane said: 'We have the death of a young man which, in my view, is not clear-cut. 'The injuries this young man suffered were very severe and I do not believe they were the result of a consensual sexual act - that is why, in my report, I have said they were the result of a serious sexual assault. 'I do not rule out the possibility of asphyxiation or cardiac arrest occurring during some sort of non-consensual sexual act. Why would a fit, healthy young man drown in a swimming pool? There must be other factors involved.' The hearing at Epping Coroners' Court has heard how Mr Lubbock, a divorcee with two young children, had met Mr Barrymore at the Millennium nightclub in Harlow, Essex, on March 30 last year. At 2.35am a group including Mr Lubbock went to the openly-gay TV presenter's sprawling bungalow in nearby Roydon to continue drinking. Drugs were also taken. Several of the revellers stripped off and got into Mr Barrymore's Jacuzzi. One woman, Kylie Merritt, claimed Mr Lubbock got out and jumped into the nearby pool, despite his inebriated state, laughing and joking. A few hours later he was found floating in the water. All efforts to revive him failed. The court heard yesterday from pathologist Dr Michael Heath, who examined Mr Lubbock's body later that morning. He revealed that during the course of his post-mortem he discovered 'extensive ( internal) bruising, lacerations and inflammation'. He could not pinpoint an exact time they had been caused but said it would have been within four hours of his death. Asked by the Lubbock family's barrister Matthew Gowen whether the injuries were 'indicative of a serious sexual assault', Dr Heath replied 'yes'.
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Oct 21, 2013 0:47:33 GMT
Speaking to Radio 5 Live’s Stephen Nolan Show, Barrymore relived the night when Stuart died after inviting a group of people back to his house.
He said: “We went oustide looked down and - I didn’t even know Stuart’s name at the time; just another member of the party - and he’s there floating in the pool.
“First thing I did was run back into the house and get Jonathan who I knew had life saving experience and the other guy came with him and James jumped in because I can’t swim and the other one jumped in as well.
“I was starting to freak out - the girls were screaming when they saw that he was just laying there he wasn’t moving much - and then James said to me, ‘Come away - there’s nothing more you can do’.
“I didn’t run away - first thing I did was go and get help.
“I was standing there and instead of going, ‘I should stay here,’ I went with the lads down the bottom of their drive to their flat.
“As I went out I rang my PA - I’ve never had a PR agent - and said a guy’s by the side of the pool - the ambulance has been called if the police need me I’m in James’ place at the bottom of the drive.
“[It didn’t look good] Abslolutely not - one of the worst things I could have done. But that doesn’t make me guilty of something that never happened in the first place.
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Oct 21, 2013 1:08:51 GMT
Paul Burrell struck up an intriguing friendship with Michael Barrymore. He got to know him when Princess Diana helped the now-disgraced entertainer decide how to handle the media in May 1996. Barrymore, who was considering telling all about his homosexual life in a TV interview, sought the advice of the Princess, whose life had been changed by her Panorama interview. Diana, accompanied by Burrell, would visit Barrymore's Bayswater home. And on occasions Burrell delivered letters from her to him. In her autobiography, Barrymore's exwife Cheryl said the meetings with Diana were orchestrated by TV reporter Martin Bashir. 'Martin Bashir would phone to make arrangements, a meeting would take place, and the following day Paul Burrell would hand-deliver a gushing note saying how enjoyable it had been.' She said the meetings continued until Diana's death. At Diana's funeral, Cheryl recounted, the Barrymores met Burrell, his wife and children. 'I realised for the first time he was married with a family.' Inside the Abbey, Barrymore - said by his wife to be high on drugs - had a panic attack. 'Paul Burrell went forward to lay a wreath and, as he passed, he and Michael briefly clasped hands,' said Cheryl. The two men turned to each other for support. Barrymore, whose marriage collapsed after he came out as gay, had a £300 dinner with Burrell and a younger male friend in West London. Afterwards, Burrell returned to Kensington Palace and Barrymore left with his male friend. Barrymore and Burrell had another mutual friend - drag artist Danny La Rue. La Rue met Burrell when the butler delivered flowers from Diana. La Rue is godfather to Burrell's 16-year-old son Alex, and was at the opening of the Burrells' flower shop in Holt, North Wales, last year. One friend said last night: 'Paul and Michael were friends but they quarrelled, and have fallen out.'
The controversial television entertainer Michael Barrymore claimed that Mr Burrell had tried to seduce him in the days following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. Mr Burrell, 44, who is married with two sons, was reported also to have had a two-year homosexual relationship with an Australian man while working as a young footman at Buckingham Palace. The revelations, made in a Sunday tabloid newspaper, added to the sordid fallout from the collapse of Mr Burrell's trial. Mr Barrymore, who announced his homosexuality after the break-up of his marriage, said he had got to know Mr Burrell after the Princess approached him to offer help while he underwent rehabilitation treatment. The two men met when Mr Barrymore was invited to Kensington Palace, he told the News of the World. "I found his manner slightly camp. And because of the job he did, I did wonder whether he was in that way inclined."
Although Mr Burrell was married, Mr Barrymore claims he asked the Princess: "Is he gay?" to which she reportedly replied: "I think he might have some problems in that department." Mr Barrymore said that after the Princess's death, Mr Burrell had visited him. He claimed Mr Burrell tried to become intimate, and said he wanted Mr Barrymore to employ him so they "could be together". But, said Mr Barrymore: "I like blokes who seem like straight blokes. I found him a bit too effeminate." He said Mr Burrell got him an invitation to the Princess's funeral and a seat near Mohammed Fayed in Westminster Abbey. Meanwhile, Greg Pead, 47, an Australian, claims he had a homosexual relationship with Mr Burrell that began in 1980 when the two met in a gay bar called Scandal near Buckingham Palace. During their relationship, he told the News of the World, he said Mr Burrell sneaked him into Buckingham Palace where they had sex in his quarters, and also on one occasion took him into the Queen's private apartments while she was away and introduced him to her corgis. Yesterday Mr Burrell's wife, Maria, 48, told the Sunday Mirror: "There are no secrets between Paul and me. What's in the past is in the past. "I went into this marriage with my eyes wide open. We have already confronted these issues."
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Mar 9, 2014 20:55:13 GMT
Monday 16 March 1998
THE most expensive civil action in English legal history, between Prince Jefri of Brunei and two of his closest emissaries, has been settled out of court.
Lawyers for the men, who were suing each other for claims totalling pounds 180m, confirmed last night that they had reached an "amicable" settlement following astonishing courtroom revelations of sexual and financial excesses.
A spokesman for Bob Manoukian, 50, and his brother Rafi, 42, who were claiming that Prince Jefri failed to honour two property deals worth pounds 80m, said yesterday: "An agreement was reached over the past couple of days. The case has now been settled amicably." He said confidentiality clauses prevented both sides from elaborating on the settlement.
One of the driving forces behind the deal is thought to be the reluctance of Prince Jefri to face cross-examination over his private life. In the early stages of the case at the High Court in London, Bob Manoukian, the 128th richest man in Britain, told the court that the Prince kept up to 40 prostitutes at a time at the Dorchester Hotel, which he owns. Mr Manoukian, a Christian, claimed that the relationship with Prince Jefri had broken down on religious grounds and because he had criticised the Prince's actions.
The Manoukian brothers say the 44-year-old prince reneged on a pounds 55m deal to buy the Adelphi in London's Strand and a pounds 25m verbal deal to renovate the first five storeys of the prince's London home at 45 Park Lane.
Bob Manoukian said in a written statement of his evidence that their relationship broke down because of the Prince's lifestyle.
"In 1993, Rafi told me that Prince Jefri had started to arrange for girls to be brought in from the USA. This seemed to me a serious mistake," he said.
"My view was that bringing in girls from the USA would be likely to lead to embarrassing publicity. I told Rafi that he should talk to Prince Jefri and warn him of the potential risk he was running but Prince Jefri told him that it was none of our business."
Mr Manoukian said Prince Jefri's conduct was "completely unacceptable by Western standards" and that he was concerned that there would be a rift in the relationship. "Once he came to believe that we were criticising him and disapproving of his behaviour and lifestyle, a breakdown in relations was unavoidable."
In June 1993, Mr Manoukian visited Brunei and saw the disco area at the Assurur (pleasure) Palace and some of the girls brought in for Prince Jefri and his friends. "Rafi and I waited outside the disco in the lobby area while the girls entertained their hosts. I was shocked to see Prince Jefri's young son Bahar and his teenage daughter in the Assurur Palace."
Mr Manoukian's evidence said Prince Jefri wanted to take over the upper floors of 45 Park Lane, the former Playboy Club, because it was close to the Dorchester which the Sultan of Brunei had bought in 1985. The prince subsequently paid pounds 21m.
"The apartments were convenient for the Dorchester, being across the road, and prostitutes could be brought into and taken out of the building in a discreet manner. "
|
|