London, Sep 13 (IANS) The world’s most expensive flat has been sold for 200 million pounds in Monaco, despite mysterious murder of its previous owner in the main reception room.
The two-floor penthouse — which includes a double-height library and vast roof terraces complete with mature 15-foot trees and infinity pool — has now been snapped up on a 97-year lease at a staggering price of 240 million euros (199mn pounds) by an unnamed Middle Eastern investor, thought to be an Arab sheikh, the Daily Mail reported.
Besides having a highly-secured panic room with reinforced glass and surveillance cameras, the swanky house has other hi-tech facilities such as cinema screens which emerge from walls at the touch of a button, and numerous walk-in wardrobes and dressing rooms.
It has a leisure room equipped with billiard tables and arcade video games, Jacuzzi and spa, as well as a media room with special executive chairs which can convert into beds in case of over-work.
Property developers Christian and Nick Candy are thought to have made a profit of at least 190 million pounds from La Belle Epoque penthouse in Monaco, on the French Riviera.
They bought the 17,500 sq ft three-bedroom flat from Englishwoman Lily Safra in the early 2000s, soon after her banker husband Edmond infamously died in a mysterious fire inside the property. It cost a mere 10 million pounds that time, according to the Daily Mail.
Early theories back in 1999 were that Safra had been killed by Russians in retaliation for supporting an FBI clampdown on money laundering in the Mediterranean principality.
But then Ted Maher, a former American Green Beret medical auxiliary who was caring for the ageing Safra, suddenly confessed to starting the fire, which also killed another nurse.
Maher spent just five years in prison – raising speculation that he was a ‘patsy’ set up to take responsibility for the crime by powerful interests who were really responsible.
Whatever the truth, it enabled Christian Candy, 36, and his brother Nick, 37, to make a fortune out of the then blighted flat.
Safra, who inherited her husband’s 3-bn-pound fortune thanks to him cutting his two brothers out of his will two months before his death, was happy to offload it for less than 10m pounds.
In an interview last year Christian Candy admitted he had spent some 26 million pounds doing the flat up, turning it into one of the most desirable properties in the world.
