Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been revealed as the owner of a French chateau described as the world\u2019s most expensive home, according to a report in the New York Times.<\/p>\n
The purchase of the vast property west of Paris for USD 300 million (275 million euros) would be the latest in a string of extravagant purchases by the powerful prince, who has been waging a sweeping anti-corruption campaign.<\/p>\n
The newly-built chateau was sold to a mystery buyer in 2015, and though its ownership is concealed through shell companies, advisers to the royal family have confirmed the prince is its ultimate owner, the Times reported Saturday.<\/p>\n
Saudi officials have declined to comment on the report, which comes after French investigative website Mediapart similarly pointed to the prince as the owner in July.<\/p>\n
Fortune magazine reported at the time of the 2015 sale that the Chateau Louis XIV — which has fountains that can be controlled by iPhone — had smashed records to become the world\u2019s priciest home.<\/p>\n
On the outside, the mansion looks like a 17th-century chateau in the style of the palace at nearby Versailles, but it is in fact a new-build that went up after its Saudi developer bulldozed the existing 19th-century property.<\/p>\n
Its antique facades hide modern facilities including a cinema, deluxe swimming pool and a moat with a transparent underwater chamber so that visitors can enjoy the sight of koi carp swimming past.<\/p>\n
The 57-acre plot includes manicured gardens, huge fountains and a maze, while the interiors are lavishly decorated with gilding and fresco ceilings.<\/p>\n
The Times report comes after the prince had dozens of members of the Saudi elite including princes, ministers and tycoons locked up in Riyadh\u2019s 5-star Ritz-Carlton hotel as part of an anti-corruption campaign.<\/p>\n
Many have since agreed to hand over allegedly ill-gotten gains in exchange for their freedom, Saudi attorney general Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb said earlier this month.<\/p>\n
In an interview with the Times in November, Prince Mohammed described as \u201cludicrous\u201d reports equating the crackdown with a political purge to eliminate rivals before he becomes king.<\/p>\n
The Times reported that he bought the chateau through a firm managed through his personal foundation, Eight Investment Company, which also handled his 2015 purchase of a USD 500 million yacht.<\/p>\n
Along with the chateau and yacht, the Times also reported earlier this month that a Leonardo da Vinci painting sold for USD 450.3 million in November was sold to a Saudi prince acting on behalf of the crown prince.<\/p>\n
The yacht purchase, sealed with the help of an army of lawyers and accountants in Germany, Bermuda and the Isle of Man, was revealed through the Paradise Papers document leak.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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