Prince Jefri sidesteps court to avoid jail

The bitter High Court battle between the Sultan of Brunei and his exiled brother Prince Jefri, who is accused of embezzling £8 billion from public funds during his 13-year stint as his country's Finance Minister, looks likely to end today with the prince receiving a two-year prison sentence. Aware of this, Prince Jefri has apparently gone abroad and will not be attending the hearing.

The 53-year-old prince is accused of breaching the terms of a court order which required him to repay the money he is said to have stolen to the Brunei Investment Agency, which is controlled by the Sultan, one of the world's 10 richest men.

Although he insists he has complied with the terms of an out-of-court settlement made eight years ago – the Prince has given up cash, valuables and homes around the world to the value of £3 billion – the Sultan's lawyers claim that he breached the agreement because he allowed money to be taken out of bank accounts which were supposed to be frozen and he failed to disclose other accounts.

The case is being heard in London because the court order was made there and because Prince Jefri's principal home is St John's Lodge in Regent's Park. It is regarded as one of the most extravagant private residences in the country – though not on a par with his elder brother's home in Brunei. The 61-year-old Sultan lives in a palace with 1,788 rooms and corridors lined with marble. He recently rewrote Brunei's constitution to say: "His Majesty the Sultan... can do no wrong in either his personal or any official capacity."