Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Billionaire Aga Khan lost £6.5m in French scam

THE billionaire leader of the world’s Ismaili Muslims Aga Khan was among the victims of a French scam which extorted €78 million (£66m) from the ‘rich and the famous’ in the world.

Aga Khan reportedly made five transfers for a total £17m in 2016 to Poland and China.


The fraudster used a rubber mask to impersonate the French defence minister on Skype to plead for funds for a secret government mission. Three of the payments were frozen, but £6.5m vanished.

The trial in the case is underway in Paris.

The Franco-Israeli pair, Gilbert Chikli, 54, and Anthony Lasarevitsch, 35, are being tried as the alleged masterminds of the group, while five others face lesser complicity charges.

The gang contacted 150 corporate chief executives, heads of state, ambassadors and religious leaders using the identity of Jean-Yves Le Drian, the current French foreign minister.

Chikli and others made the targets believe they were being contacted by Le Drian, then defence minister, who would request money to pay ransoms for journalists being held hostage by Islamists in the Middle East.

The ‘fake’ Le Drian assured payments would be untraceable, as France officially does not pay ransoms to hostagetakers, and asked for the funds to be placed in a bank in China.

Turkish business magnate Inan Kirac was allegedly convinced to wire more than £36m and Corinne Mentzelopoulos, the owner of Chateau Margaux, handed over £5m.

The targets received an initial telephone call from someone in Le Drian’s inner circle. Then the “minister” in person, first on the phone then in a carefully staged Skype call in which the Le Drian lookalike sat in a perfect mock-up of his office, complete with flags and portrait of then-president François Hollande.

In 2015, a French court convicted Chikli in absentia to seven years in prison for similar scams in 2005 and 2006, in which he posed as business chief executives.

After two years, he was arrested with Lasarevitsch in Ukraine. Prosecutors said another rubber mask was being prepared to mimic the features of Prince Albert II of Monaco.

The team was also preparing masks for president Emmanuel Macron and former presidents François Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy.

More For You

marks & spencer

M&S has confirmed that its physical stores remain open and operational

Getty

Marks & Spencer suspends online shopping after cyber attack hits systems

Marks & Spencer (M&S) has paused all online orders following a significant cyber attack that has left the company working to restore its systems. The retailer confirmed the cyber incident earlier this week, after customers began experiencing issues with online services last weekend.

While some systems have been brought back online, others remain offline, forcing M&S to stop taking orders through its website and apps. This includes both food deliveries and clothing purchases. The company issued an apology for the inconvenience, acknowledging the disruption and stating that its team, supported by cyber experts, is working tirelessly to resolve the situation.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pakistan airspace curbs push up costs for Indian airlines

FILE PHOTO: Passengers stand in a queue before entering the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai. (Photo by SUJIT JAISWAL/AFP via Getty Images)

Pakistan airspace curbs push up costs for Indian airlines

TOP Indian airlines Air India and IndiGo are bracing for higher fuel costs and longer journey times as they reroute international flights after Pakistan shut its airspace to them amid escalating tensions over a deadly militant attack in Kashmir.

India has said there were Pakistani elements in Tuesday's (22) attack in which gunmen shot and killed 26 men in a meadow in the Pahalgam area of Indian Kashmir. Pakistan has denied any involvement.

Keep ReadingShow less
Campbell Wilson

Air India CEO Campbell Wilson steps down as Air India Express chair

Air India CEO Campbell Wilson steps down as Air India Express chair

AIR INDIA CEO Campbell Wilson is stepping down as chair of Air India Express, the airline’s low-cost subsidiary. He will be replaced by Nipun Aggarwal, Air India’s chief commercial officer, according to an internal memo sent on Tuesday.

Wilson will also step down from the board of Air India Express. Basil Kwauk, Air India’s chief operating officer, will take his place.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India eyes Boeing jets rejected by Chinese airlines: report

Tata-owned Air India is interested in purchasing jets that Chinese carriers can no longer accept (Photo credit: Air India)

Air India eyes Boeing jets rejected by Chinese airlines: report

AIR INDIA is seeking to acquire Boeing aircrafts originally destined for Chinese airlines, as escalating tariffs between Washington and Beijing disrupt planned deliveries, reported The Times.

The Tata-owned airline, currently working on its revival strategy, is interested in purchasing jets that Chinese carriers can no longer accept due to the recent trade dispute. According to reports, Tata is also keen to secure future delivery slots should they become available.

Keep ReadingShow less
Infosys forecasts lower annual growth after Trump tariffs cause global uncertainty

The IT service firm said its revenue would either stay flat or grow by up to three per cent

Getty Images

Infosys forecasts lower annual growth after Trump tariffs cause global uncertainty

INDIAN tech giant Infosys forecast muted annual revenue growth last Thursday (17) in an outlook that suggests clients might curtail tech spending because of growing global uncertainty.

The IT service firm said its revenue would either stay flat or grow by up to three per cent in the fiscal year through March 2026 on a constant currency basis. The sales forecast was lower than the 4.2 per cent constantcurrency revenue growth Infosys recorded in the previous financial year.

Keep ReadingShow less