[Red Moon]

Michael Jackson sued for £4.7million by mega-rich Arab prince

Cash-strapped Michael Jackson was yesterday plunged into a bizarre legal battle with a mega-rich Arab prince who tried to help him relaunch his pop career.

Sheik Abdulla Al-Khalifa, 35, is suing the troubled star for £4.7million he claims he is owed after Jacko allegedly reneged on a record deal.

The tycoon – second son of the King of Bahrain – says he paid for a recording studio at the star’s Neverland ranch and settled his £1.4million lawyers’ bills over his criminal trial on child abuse charges.

He also handed over millions more for holidays, living expenses, security and generally “alleviating his financial plight”, the High Court was told.

The sheik’s lawyer, Mr Bankim Thanki QC, said Jackson, 50, begged Abdulla for money after being introduced to him by Jacko’s brother Jermaine in 2005 while they were staying in Bahrain.

Jackson claims the payments were gifts but Mr Thanki said: “The idea was to create a new recording label to kick start his musical career.”

The sheik even planned to write a song for Jacko which he hoped would be released as a charity single.

Mr Thanki added: “The idea was to relaunch his career from a base far away from his well publicised criminal trial which occupied the first half of 2005.

“He was under intense media scrutiny and against that background Bahrain was seen as a sanctuary from which he took very full advantage.”

In addition to the recording, he claimed Jackson also agreed to write an autobiography and a stage show.

In his defence, Jackson admits signing a document which he understood gave him a substantial shareholding in the 2 Seas recording company.

But he challenges the sheik’s description of him as “an experienced businessman” and says he never read the terms of the document and was never advised to take independent legal advice.

He claims the contract was entered into on the basis of “false representations” that the company was “capable of releasing and distributing, on a worldwide basis, recordings by an artist of international repute”.

Jackson also accuses the sheik of exerting “undue influence” over him at a time when he was emotionally exhausted. The case continues.

Where did all the money go?

£1.4m: Legal costs on child abuse trial
£667,000: Payment of some of Jacko’s debts
£133,000: Payment to Jackson’s publicist
£800,000: Donation on behalf of Jacko to civil rights rally
£105,000: Rooms at the Crillon hotel in Paris for Jacko and entourage after his trial
£200,000: Holidays in Italy and UK
£90,000: Security while on holiday in Italy
£335,000: Living expenses in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi

Also paid unspecified amounts for brand new recording studio at the Neverland Ranch, flying Jacko’s hairdresser out to Italy

Source: Daily Mirror