Gambling Ex-Wife of Sultan of Brunei Accuses Bodyguard of £12m Theft
Gambling Ex-Wife of Sultan of Brunei Accuses Bodyguard of £12m Theft Miriam Aziz in better days, when she still shared a throne along with her

Miriam Aziz in better days, when she still shared a throne along with her husband that is now-ex Sultan of Brunei (Image: AFP/Getty)
The 59-year-old ex-wife of the Sultan of Brunei has fessed up in court to some major gambling arrears played out in London’s toniest casinos, and the subsequent sale of £1million ($1,652,593) worth of fine jewelry to pay off some of her accrued gambling debts in a tale worthy of any great novelist’s plotlines, Miriam Aziz.
The hijab-covered woman testified in Isleworth Crown Court the other day although she denied having once lost as much as £3 million ($4,957,781) in just one night of wagering that she had indeed sold some of her gems to pay the IOUs.
In accordance with Aziz, it was just £500,000 ($826,296), which probably for an ex-Sultaness is merely chump modification. But wait, because the plot thickens in this tale of broken hearts, broken allegiances and broken bank reports.
Former Bonded Birdies Sing
Aziz also gave testimony against her feminine former badminton-coach-turned-bodyguard Fatimah Lim, who stands accused of herself stealing £12m ($19,831,126) worth of diamonds from Aziz, substituting phony and basically valueless copies within their stead.
The 35-year-old Lim says that during a 20-month spree, Aziz took her sizable retinue of support staff with her to gambling venues around the world. Lim stated she had been later instructed by Aziz to sell the jewels on Aziz’ behalf when several casinos reportedly threatened to sue the ex-queen.
Aziz denied this in court, saying, ‘No, I never ever asked anyone, especially Fatimah Lim, to sell the diamonds, it myself. because we would do’
Plenty of Dough to Spread Around
To put this in context, the Sultan is definitely the man that is wealthiest on the planet; so the ex-Missus’ visits to casinos in popular spots like London, Singapore and Macau could hardly have raised an eyebrow. At first, anyway. By having a £2.5m ($4,131,484) credit limit at upscale clubs like London’s Clermont in Berkeley Square, Aziz could obviously play limits that are high make extravagant wagers without anyone feeling alarmed.
More over, it appears the supposedly devout Muslim Aziz a Royal Brunei Airlines journey attendant before becoming the Sultan’s wife prodded Lim to gamble herself, saying she’d give both Lim and some other female bodyguards gambling bankroll to the tune of £1,500 ($2,479) a pop. Their London casino sojourns would sometimes protect as many as three casinos nightly.
‘There had been individuals in your wider circle not as enthusiastic about gambling as you there was a notion that it wasn’t according to the actions of a Muslim,’ stated Lim’s protection attorney Rupert Pardoe. ‘You have hatched a plot to blame Fatimah Lim for the theft of these bands and also this diamond bracelet.’
Lim stands accused of three counts of theft in the still-ongoing trial.
Aziz’ ex-husband Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah divorced Aziz after a 21-year marriage and four young ones, in 2003. It’s difficult to keep track of his various and sundry matrimonies and his progeny, but it looks like the score is: one royal consort that is long-term the stripped-of-all-titles and now ex, Aziz; and a former Malaysian television hostess who only made it 5 years with her royal ex, and who was also stripped of all titles and her allowance, as reportedly was Aziz.
Pennsylvania Lawmaker Proposes Jail Time and Fines for On Line Gambling
One Pennsylvania lawmaker really wants to make online gambling an offense punishable with jail some time fines (Image: AmericanMafia.com)
Pennsylvania might be among the biggest states population-wise that is seriously considering on the web gambling, but that doesn’t suggest everybody else there clearly was on board quite yet. And even though the Keystone State studies the problem and watches how things work in neighboring nj, one lawmaker not merely opposes putting online gambling into practice there, but really wishes to jail anyone who attempts to place a bet on the web.
Threatening Society, Scavello Says
That’s the plan from State Representative Mario Scavello, who believes that online gambling is a threat to families and young ones. He is also concerned that problem gamblers could access internet sites and have nobody and no mechanism to stop them from throwing out everything they have right from the convenience of the own areas.
‘Here again, online gambling is most readily useful referred to as the crazy West,’ said Scavello. ‘Online, there is no one around to keep attention on some one who doesn’t know when to stop.’
But while opposition to on the web gambling isn’t exactly breaking news, the specifics of Scavello’s proposition have surely drawn attention.
The bill he has put forward would actively punish online gamblers with fines and potentially even jail time. That would offer Pennsylvania a few of the nation’s harshest punishments for on line gambling, rivaling Washington State for that title.
Under Scavello’s bill, a first violation will be a summary offense and would carry a fine of up to $300 or more to ninety days in jail. Things get much worse for a offense that is second at that point, the crime turns into a misdemeanor, the maximum fine rises to $2,500 and offenders could be jailed for up to a year.
‘I believe that if you hit individuals within their wallets, we can begin to break down on the lawbreakers,’ Scavello said.
Adelson Backs Bill
And in addition, Scavello’s bill was instantly supported by Sheldon Adelson’s Coalition to Stop online Gambling (CSIG). That group pointed to A quinnipiac that is recent poll found that 62 percent of registered voters in Pennsylvania opposed the regulation and legalization of on the web gambling in their state.
‘We call on the Pennsylvania Legislature to vote and only this bill and send a powerful message that online gaming has no place in American culture,’ CSIG said in a declaration.
Along with concerns over the ease of access to on the web gambling internet sites, Scavello also argued that Internet gaming could siphon cash far from Pennsylvania’s successful land-based casinos, potentially costing the state income and jobs. He also claimed that online gambling could be employed for criminal purposes, particularly money laundering.
The proposal comes at the same time when Pennsylvania is ways that are actively seeking expand the state’s gaming industry to compete with neighboring states. They will have already approved allowing bars and other venues to host gambling devices, and Governor Tom Corbett has said that the state lottery should additionally offer keno games to Pennsylvania residents. Online gambling has maybe not yet been put into the state budget, but lawmakers are studying it for future consideration.
Scavello’s bill has discovered some supporters within the continuing state legislature, particularly among fellow Republicans.
‘We understand that online gambling results in a whole lot of exploitation by various dubious characters that are out there,’ said State Representative David Millard. ‘Being addicted to gaming is such as a cancer in our community.’
British Mobile App Gambling Growth Going Strong
Mobile gambling particularly sports wagering has been growing exponentially in the UK, while traditional Internet play has fallen (Image: Courier-Mail)
What goes up, must come down. But in the case of the UK gambling market, two recent studies are making it seem that the industry is both up and down at the time that is same. In fact, it’s simply a matter of what you need to check it, as the world of gambling is changing, and mobile gaming is becoming exponentially larger year after year.
Slight Drop in Gambling Numbers Overall
First, there’s a new report out from the UK Gambling Commission that displays fewer residents gambled in 2013 than in 2012. It is only a small drop, however: 55 percent of UK residents said before they were surveyed in 2013, compared to 57 percent the year before that they gambled over the four weeks.
That report also provided an examine whom is gambling and how frequently they’re doing it. A total of 60 per cent of male respondents reported gambling at least once a while that number was just 50 percent for women month. Most gamblers said they only played as soon as a week, or less.
The commission also looked at online gambling, and saw that participation in Internet betting was up even as general involvement had fallen. Some 15 per cent said they had participated in online gambling over the past four weeks, up from 14 per cent a year before.
A big percentage of that online gambling is done through great britain’s National Lottery, which is also the most used form of gambling in the country overall. In-person gambling was still the many form that is popular of though, with almost three-quarters of the who stated they gambled saying that had only done so offline.
Mobile Gaming Is Growing
What do those true figures really mean? They show that online gambling continues to grow, but still features a great deal more room for expansion. Plus one thing that was not covered in the Gambling Commission report ended up being mobile gaming, that has grown extremely in simply the last year.
That expansive growth was illustrated in a report by OddsWinner.com, which studied the internet and mobile revenues of this top UK bookmakers. Looking at just the largest companies, it becomes clear that mobile video gaming is the future for online operators and that the near future may, in reality, be right here already.
For instance, William Hill has seen growth that is fast how much of the activities book revenue is now coming from mobile players. In 2012, just 26 percent of their sports book return came from mobile betting. But by the quarter that is second of, that number had already raised to 33 percent, and the business expects that to go above 40 per cent by the end of 2014. Extremely, William Hill reported that year-over-year profits for mobile gaming had increased 298 % from 2012 to 2013.
Other programs saw lower but nevertheless dramatic prices of mobile development. Paddy Power saw a 112 percent enhance in mobile revenue in 2013, while Betfair said activity that is mobile up 64 percent year-over-year. And sports guide Bet365 says that 50 aussie-pokies.club % of their customers now come from mobile devices.
In line with the OddsWinner report, the growth in mobile betting is because of many factors, including the usage that is increased of in the UK. More companies will also be apps that are releasing in place of forcing clients to connect through their mobile browsers per se.
‘Smartphones can now deliver the ongoing services needed to permit customers to bet on the move,’ said Push Technology CEO Sean Bowen. ‘We carry them everywhere and therefore can bet at anytime, anywhere. There are many people with mobiles than PCs.’
Other factors are the increase in interest for in-play gambling on activities, and mobile-specific marketing campaigns by the major UK bookmakers.
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