Saudi prince 'failed to pay' after commissioning porn films, lawsuit claims
Saudi prince 'failed to pay' after commissioning porn films, lawsuit claims
Seedy Arabia? Former foreign minister reportedly commissioned three pornographic films featuring 'a close Moroccan acquaintance' of the prince, leaving the Saudi diplomatic establishment in a difficult position.
2 min read
Al-Faisal died in 2015 [Getty]
Saudi Arabia's late foreign minister, Saud al-Faisal, who served in his post from 1975 to 2015, commissioned the making of a series of porn films - but failed to pay for production costs, according to court documents.
Prince Saud al-Faisal, the grandson of the founder of the kingdom, sought out a French "concierge services" company named SARL Atyla to produce three 45-minute pornographic films featuring a "close" Moroccan acquaintance of the prince, according to a filing submitted to the High Court in Nanterre, a suburban town west of Paris.
Emails and mobile phone messages supposedly sent between Faisal's personal assistants, Boyle Antolin Dugenia and Francisco Sacoto, and SARL Atyla's manager, Marc Paulay, have been submitted in evidence.
Among the details discussed via email were the date and location of filming, scripts and the prince's personal preferences.
A matter of taste
One email purportedly notes Faisal's disapproval of one act in particular, while another gives quite specific directions for the actors involved in the shoot.
"He does not like blindfold and being tied. Make a new one," Dugenia wrote.
"Important, the man must dominate his companion, not with violence but by using his skills and capabilities and his God-given gift," another email reads.
The suit also stated the Saudi prince left his Moroccan friend a luxury apartment in Paris in his will.
Delayed remuneration
But seven years after the first correspondence was made, the company is still seeking payment for the production of the films and is demanding €90,000, or roughly $110,000 - an amount inflated by interest, according to French media reports.
Prince Saud al-Faisal died on July 9, 2015, but the documents show SARL Atyla is seeking the funds from another company, SCI 25 Avenue Bugeaud, a property management company run by one of Faisal's daughters, Princess Lana Saud al-Faisal.
SCI 25 Avenue Bugeaud lawyers denounced the claims in a document submitted to court in December 2017, suggesting their client owes nothing.
With a preliminary hearing not due to be heard until November 15, this case is likely to be tied up in the courts for some time.
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