Forbes magazine has compiled another ranking of Kings, Queens and Dictators – a list of the world's richest monarchs and rulers. As in the previous year, the top three spots remain with the oil kings. The list is headed by King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia with a fortune of $21 billion, second place went to Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei ($20 billion). The last place in the golden trio went to the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan ($19 billion).
Compared with the previous year, the top of the list has undergone some changes. First in the 2005 ranking was the 81-year-old King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, whose fortune was estimated at $24 billion. However, in the summer his majesty died, and the crown, as well as the lead in the Forbes list, passed to his half-brother, Crown Prince Abdullah. The Sultan of Brunei managed to move up one step after his fortune increased by $6 billion from last year's $14 billion. Meanwhile, the UAE president's wealth, on the contrary, decreased by $1 billion over the past year.
The fortunes of European rulers look considerably more modest against the backdrop of the oil sheikhs. For instance, the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein, Hans-Adam II, can boast a fortune of $4 billion ($3.2 billion in 2005), while Prince Albert II of Monaco owns $1 billion. The savings of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain have been seriously depleted in recent years. And that is not surprising: her income depends to a considerable extent on the Duchy of Lancaster, covering 52,000 acres of mostly agricultural land – one of the few ancient royal estates remaining in the hands of the sovereign. In 2006, Forbes estimated Elizabeth's fortune at $550 million, compared with $720 million in 2005.
For the first time, the president of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema, made the list: according to the magazine, he owns approximately $600 million.
The fortunes of Cuban President Fidel Castro attracted the greatest interest. Last year, Forbes estimated the income of the former revolutionary at $550 million. Comments to the list reported that the assessment of Castro's personal savings was based on the profits of state corporations that Castro supposedly controls through a network of shell companies. Experts stressed that these estimates are rather approximate and 'more an art than a science.' Such a verdict provoked an outburst of indignation on the Island of Freedom. Cuban diplomats accused the magazine's editors of lying and said its publications were not trustworthy. 'Do they associate me with the President of Zaire, Mobutu Sese Seko, or some other millionaire? One of those who robbed and stole while under the protection of the authorities?' Fidel Castro reacted with indignation and threatened to sue the editors for defamation.
This year, the Cuban president received another reason to file a lawsuit: Forbes estimated Castro's fortune at almost twice last year's figure – $900 million. The editors acknowledge that the ranking is subjective, as it is very difficult to separate the personal wealth of rulers from state funds. For this reason, Forbes did not take into account the value of the crown jewels or the value of Buckingham Palace when calculating Elizabeth II's fortune: the royal family merely acts as their tenant. 'It is precisely because of these subtleties that we compile a separate ranking of rulers and do not include its participants in the list of the richest people on the planet,' concludes one of Forbes's editors, Mr. Kroll.
Neither the President of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov, nor the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, made it onto the Kings, Queens and Dictators list.
Mikhail KRASNOV.
Gazeta.Ru