Fraudster who posed as Saudi prince jailed in US
Washington: A US man who posed as a Saudi prince for nearly 30 years has been finally exposed and jailed for 18 years for fraud. For years, Anthony Gignac lived a life of luxury fit for a royal. He wore expensive jewellery, travelled in private jets or cars with diplomatic licence plates, and carried business cards referring to himself as “Sultan”. But the story of the self-proclaimed prince finally unravelled on Friday, as he was jailed for 18 years for fraud, the BBC reported. A Florida judge said Gignac, 48, was a con man who posed as a Saudi royal to swindle $8 million from investors. According to court documents, he has been arrested 11 times in the past three decades for “prince-related schemes”. From as early as May 2015, he has been using the name Khalid Bin Al-Saud, the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida says. To support his fraudulent persona, he purchased fake diplomatic licence plates and papers for his bodyguards. He wore traditional Saudi clothes and expensive rings and watches. He often travelled on private jets or luxury yachts, and collected expensive artwork. His fake life was chronicled on an Instagram account, where he shared photos of his dog sitting in designer bags and Saudi royals with captions like “my dad”. When meeting with investors, he would refer to himself as a prince and demand that royal protocols such as gift giving were followed. However, the scheme started to fall apart in May 2017, when he tried to invest in a luxury hotel in Miami. Over the course of the negotiations, the hotel’s owners became suspicious of Gignac, in part because of his willingness to eat pork products that would normally be off-limits to a devout Muslim prince. They then hired a private security group to investigate him, which ultimately led to a federal investigation. Gignac pleaded guilty earlier this year to wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and impersonating a diplomat, court documents show. In her statement, Orshan said “justice spoke for the victims” in Friday’s verdict. (IANS)
Angola’s former Unita leader reburied after 17 years
London: The former leader of Angola’s Unita rebel group, Jonas Savimbi, has been reburied 17 years after his death. Thousands of former Unita fighters wearing white T-shirts emblazoned with images of Savimbi attended the ceremony in his home village of Lopitanga. His 2002 death brought an end to one of Africa’s longest civil wars. His remains were finally handed over to his family on Friday following confusion earlier in the week. Unita says the funeral ceremony will be an important step towards national reconciliation in the oil-rich nation, the BBC reported. However, no government representatives were present at the ceremony. His coffin was draped in Unita’s green and red flag. Angola was a Cold War battleground, with the US and apartheid South Africa backing Unita, while the governing MPLA received support from the former Soviet Union and Cuba. At least 500,000 people died in the 27-year conflict. Savimbi, known as the “black rooster”, was an extremely divisive figure. He was accused of widespread atrocities but was also a charismatic leader revered by thousands. He was killed by government soldiers in 2002 and was hurriedly buried in a cemetery in the central town of Luena. He has now been buried near his father. His family and Unita officials had demanded his reburial for many years to no avail. The impasse was broken after his long-time foe, Jose Eduardo dos Santos, stepped down as president in 2017. His successor, Joao Lourenco, agreed to their demands and his body was exhumed earlier this year. Durao Sakaita, one of Savimbi’s sons, said the family would finally be at peace after he was reburied. (IANS)
