Michael Jackson is being sued after taking £4.7 million from a sheikh.

Michael Jackson is being sued after taking £4.7 million from a sheikh.

The fallen pop star was said to be so short of money he was forced to ask
for financial help from Sheikh Abdulla Al-Khalifa – the son of the King of
Bahrain – to pay off spiralling debts.
But the prince claims Michael pulled out of a signed agreement to make two
new albums under his record label 2 Seas and is demanding he repay the
money.
Bankim Thanki QC, the sheikh’s lawyer, said at London’s High Court: “The
idea was to create a new recording label to kick start his musical career.
“He displayed a distinct lack of gratitude for all the things that were done
for him.”
Michael, 50, insists the money was given to him as a “gift” and claims he
did not read the terms and conditions or seek legal advice before signing
the contract – which also required him to write an autobiography and pen a
stage show.
The £4.7 million included £23,500 in utility bills for his Neverland estate,
a 10-day Paris hotel bill of £105,000, bank funds of £655,000, court costs
during his child abuse case in 2005 totalling £1.5 million, £335,000 living
expenses during six months in the Middle East as well as Italian and UK
holidays coming to £234,000.
The sheikh is also believed to have paid for a new recording studio at
Michael’s Neverland ranch - which the ‘Thriller’ singer was recently forced
to sell after struggling to pay maintenance costs.
The cash-strapped star – who is due to give evidence at the 12-day hearing
via a video link - was introduced to Sheikh Abdulla by his brother Jermaine
in 2004.
The billionaire royal had also written a charity song for Michael to sing to
raise funds for victims of Asia’s 2004 December tsunami and Hurricane
Katrina in the US.