A Saudi prince is to be questioned again over allegations he drugged and assaulted a young model on a yacht in the Mediterranean three years ago.
Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, 56 - one of the world's richest men with an estimated fortune of £12.3billion - is accused of assaulting the 20-year-old while in Ibiza in August 2008.
The case was closed last year on the grounds of insufficient evidence but it has now been re-opened following an appeal.
The prince could now be called back to the island to provide a DNA sample. Court papers said forensic tests on the woman found evidence of assaulting activity and traces of a sedative.
Prince Alwaleed is a leading investor in both Citigroup and Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. media empire, and held 26th place on this year's Forbes list of the world's richest people.
He is the nephew of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and bought London's Savoy Hotel in 2005 for £250million.
The alleged victim claims she was lured on to the 384ft yacht Turama after her drink was spiked in a nightclub on the island.
She said she woke up during the assault by a man she claims was Prince Alwaleed.
This week the prince issued a statement via his investment firm Kingdom Holding Company denying the accusations, branding them 'completely and utterly false.'
He said he was not in Ibiza in August 2008 and has not visited the island for more than 10 years.
The statement also said the prince was unaware of the allegations until earlier this week and said he could have been mistakenly identified as the attacker after someone impersonated him.
Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, 56 - one of the world's richest men with an estimated fortune of £12.3billion - is accused of assaulting the 20-year-old while in Ibiza in August 2008.
The case was closed last year on the grounds of insufficient evidence but it has now been re-opened following an appeal.
The prince could now be called back to the island to provide a DNA sample. Court papers said forensic tests on the woman found evidence of assaulting activity and traces of a sedative.
Prince Alwaleed is a leading investor in both Citigroup and Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. media empire, and held 26th place on this year's Forbes list of the world's richest people.
He is the nephew of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and bought London's Savoy Hotel in 2005 for £250million.
The alleged victim claims she was lured on to the 384ft yacht Turama after her drink was spiked in a nightclub on the island.
She said she woke up during the assault by a man she claims was Prince Alwaleed.
This week the prince issued a statement via his investment firm Kingdom Holding Company denying the accusations, branding them 'completely and utterly false.'
He said he was not in Ibiza in August 2008 and has not visited the island for more than 10 years.
The statement also said the prince was unaware of the allegations until earlier this week and said he could have been mistakenly identified as the attacker after someone impersonated him.
No comments:
Post a Comment