Saudi Arabia's 'anti-corruption' crown prince buys world's most expensive 'mansion'

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has led the most aggressive anti-corruption campaign in recent times, is also the one who bought the world's most expensive mansion.

Chateau Louis XIV. Photo: New York Times

According to an investigation by the New York Times (USA), the 32-year-old prince who had harshly punished and placed under house arrest many royal cousins ​​and members of the "big" business community in a large-scale anti-corruption campaign in Saudi Arabia, turned out to be the mysterious buyer of the world's most expensive villa in France since 2015.

Accordingly, Mr. Mohammed bin Salman bought a newly built castle worth 300 million USD near the Palace of Versailles in the Louveciennes region, France.

The villa, named Chateau Louis XIV, was built three years ago on the 50,000-square-foot (4,645-square-meter) site of a 19th-century castle and is equipped with smart home technology.

Although modeled after 17th-century French chateaux, the building's entire fountain, lighting, air conditioning, temperature, and sound systems can all be controlled via an iPhone from anywhere in the world.

The purchase of the Chateau Louis XIV villa took place in 2015, but a New York Times investigation has now revealed that the real buyer was Saudi Arabia's crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.

The real owner of this building has been hidden by various shell companies in France and Luxembourg.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Photo: AFP

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also paid a record $450.3 million to buy Leonardo da Vinci's portrait of Jesus Christ called 'Salvator Mundi' at auction.

It should also be added that Prince Mohammed is also the owner of a giant yacht that is more expensive than the villa in France, worth 494 million USD.

According to Tuoi Tre