Search is on for the Sultan’s brother

The brother of the Sultan of Brunei, Prince Jefri (pictured), is now a wanted man. As predicted on The First Post yesterday, he failed to turn up for a London court hearing where he was accused by the Sultan of embezzling £8bn, which resulted in the presiding judge issuing a warrant for his arrest. Because of his no show, he is unlikely to get bail and so faces the prospect, when apprehended, of imprisonment.

"If he is arrested it will take an advocate of great skill to persuade me that he should have bail," warned the judge, Justice Peter Smith. The prince's defence team could not say exactly where he was, but suggested he was somewhere in France, or possibly Monaco. A prison cell would be a terrible comedown for Prince Jefri, 53, He is a man accustomed to opulence - even the lavatory brush holders are lined with gold at his London home, St John's Lodge in Regent's Park.

His downfall follows one of the Arab world’s most sensational royal scandals which became public in 2000 when the Brunei government accused Jefri of siphoning billions during his 13-year sting as finance minister of the oil-rich state. An out-of-court deal was brokered whereby it was agreed no charges would be brought if he paid back £3bn of the money. But the Sultan's lawyers claim that he breached that agreement.

The Prince left Brunei some time ago – he and the Sultan, one of the 10 richest people in the world, are not on speaking terms – and made London his main residence.