Spudrick68
Justified & Ancient
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2008
- Messages
- 3,655
Is it Ali G?
Where does Saudi Arabia come into it then?There's something odd going on with a man going by Sheikh Ali Rashed al Maktoum, who claims to be a Saudi prince and has been trying to set up a 'family office' here in Hong Kong. I'm not really clear on what that is, but it's something that can only be done by extremely rich people, and the Hong Kong government are currently encouraging overseas multimillionaires to base their family offices here. He then left partway through the process, saying some important private matters had come up in Dubai.
The media here started to dig a little, and there are a couple of slightly fishy aspects to the story. First of which is that his website was only set up a year ago, and doesn't appear to have any pictures of him with other members of the vast Saudi royal family. But more interesting is that he appears to be the same person as Alira, an Emirati singer who found success and a following in the Philippines singing Tagalog songs. (According to the SCMP, they used some software to check and are in little doubt that they are the same person)
View attachment 75307
So what's the story? Is this man pretending to be a Saudi Prince? Or is he a legitimate Saudi Prince who tried his hand a pop stardom earlier in his career and is now trying to put that world behind him?
EDIT: According to the SCMP, Ali's 'International Strategic Relations Director' Dr. William Tien has been involved with various failed/dodgy business ventures in the past. I looked up the rest of the people on the Sheikh's 'our team' page, and most of them appear to be Filipinos who are based in Dubai, which is at least suggestive. Amira Jewel Lobaton, his 'Head of Business Development' was arrested in the Philippines for participating in an investment scam before she relocated to Dubai.
With that family it could be anyone.Is it Ali G?
Argh, stupid me - I was getting Saudi and Dubai mixed up. I'm apparently unable to edit the post at this point but thank you for pointing this mistake out as it's a pretty major oversight.Where does Saudi Arabia come into it then?
Right.Argh, stupid me - I was getting Saudi and Dubai mixed up. Will edit.
And the chances of him taking any notice of the driving bans etc are....?Not just a fake diplomat - a Freeman as well.
A self-declared ‘diplomat’ who drove a car with bizarre fake insurance documents, a fake disc claiming he was tax exempt and a fake car registration plate bearing the word ‘LIB3RTY’ was convicted of multiple road traffic offences in a Cork court.
Rodolfo De Jesus Moreno, 35, did not turn up for the hearing in Mallow District Court this week. But he was convicted in his absence by Judge Colm Roberts for driving offences, including driving without insurance, driving without a licence and no front and no rear identification on his car.
The identification he did have on his car, a black Toyota Auris, was a fake number plate which read ‘LIB3RTY’. A fake insurance document on the car’s windscreen claimed to operate a £4m GBP surety bond on the vehicle. Another document attached to the windscreen where a valid tax disc should be, bore an elaborate coat of arms with the name, ‘Moreno’. That ‘tax disc’ also declared a “tax exemption under the Diplomatic Relations and Immunities Act 1967 (Embassies and Diplomats 1961 Convention).” “A sending State and an ambassador are exempt from all national taxes,” the document claimed. That document also suggested that “trespassing” on the car could incur a €1m fee.
Another identity document submitted to court claimed that Moreno was a diplomat, with the seemingly self-declared title of ‘Consul-General.’
Another document which he appeared to have signed claimed that the signatory stands “under Gods’ Law only” and has “no contract with private corporations or fictional courts.”
https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/courtandcrime/arid-41372113.html
Yet another deluded soul who imagines he can be immune to prosecution by declaring themselves ... special.