Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, 56, who has an estimated fortune of $19.4 billion (£12.3 billion), making him the 26th richest man in the world according to Forbes, and is the nephew of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, could also be called before an investigating judge on the Balearic island of Ibiza and asked to give a DNA sample as part of the investigation.
The alleged victim, a woman identified only as Soraya, claims she was lured onto the superyacht Turama – a 384ft vessel available for charter at around 90,000 euros (£78,000) a day – after her drink was spiked in the VIP zone of a well-known nightclub on the island.
But Prince Alwaleed, the second largest investor in Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, denies the assault or even having visiting Ibiza in the last decade.
The prince, who bought the Savoy in 2005 for £250m and was linked to a £100m bid for Everton Football Club earlier this year, could have been mistakenly identified as the perpetrator of the assault after someone impersonated him, his spokesman claimed.
The victim, who was 20 years-old at the time, claims that she woke up during a sexual assault on the boat by a man she claimed was the Saudi prince. Forensic tests turned up traces of semen and the sedative nordazepam was found in her urine.
An investigating magistrate halted an investigation into the allegations last year on grounds of insufficient evidence. But on appeal the higher, provincial court in Palma on the island of Majorca instructed the judge to reopen the case and question the prince. » | Fiona Govan, Madrid | Wednesday, September 14, 2011
