30-06-2025
British caretaker successfully sues Saudi prince for huge sum in unpaid wages - but says he has not received a penny
A British caretaker has successfully sued a Saudi prince for a huge amount of money in unpaid wages, but alleged he still hasn't received a penny.
Mark James, 45, has still not been paid 'a centime' despite winning a €200,000 (£171,000) legal case in France against Prince Fahd bin Sultan al-Saud in April.
The 74 year-old was the Saudi defence minister from 1962 to 2011 and is currently the governor of Tabuk province.
James, originally from Hitchin in Hertfordshire, managed a three-storey mansion at 36 Cours Alberts 1 in Paris' luxurious 8th arrondissement on the Prince's behalf.
James, who now lives in Antibes on the French Riviera, said that while he lived at the nearly 6,900sq. ft. property, there was no hot water as gas bills hadn't been paid, nor was the lift working. On top of this, the swimming pool was reportedly unusable due to having a faulty pump.
in April, a Parisian tribunal ordered the prince, via a company called Sofici that belongs to him, to give the caretaker nearly £200,000 in pay and damages for his 'dismissal without real or serious cause.'
Despite this, and despite a previous ruling ordering Sofici to pay an initial instalment of €70,000 or face penalties of €1,000 per day, James says he still hasn't received any money.
His lawyer said bailiffs had failed to seize funds for any accounts belonging to Sofici as they are said to be empty.
James' lawsuit was one of several filed against Prince Fahd to recover funds.
In May, the property's butler and maitre d'hotel also sued the prince for failing to pay them or provide them with payslips for over a year, a move that meant neither could claim any social security or pensions.
On the eve of the May 21 hearing, the prince reportedly paid the sums he owed them, totalling to €140,000 (£120,000).
Raymond Rudio, James' lawyer, told the Telegraph he believed that Prince Fahd is in dire financial straits as he is being squeezed by Mohammed bin Salmad, the ruler of Saudi Arabia.
MBS, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, began cutting his family off from the nation's vast reserves of wealth, and has cracked down on alleged corruption.
'I was told his lavish lifestyle had been considerably reduced after his cousin MBS cut funds,' Rudio said.
As a result, several of his multi-million pound homes across Europe have been seized, along with a luxury yacht.
In 2023, Credit Suisse, Fahd's main credtor, seized his chalet in the French Alps.
And in a separate case held in London in 2022, the bank alleged that Fahd failed to repay £57million in interest and loan he had taken out to refinance the Sarafsa, a British-made yacht which has reportedly been 'left to rot' in Monaco.
The six-deck yacht was sold in 2023, having been listed for £65million.
