Latest news with #VincentTchenguiz
Times
19-07-2025
- Business
- Times
After 15 years of scoops and scandals, it's time to say goodbye
In some ways, 2010 feels like yesterday. In others it seems like a foreign country. In September that year, I arrived at this paper from City AM as commercial property correspondent. Thanks to the kindness of an early contact, I got a decent story in my first week — the seizure of Goldman Sachs' old headquarters complex on Fleet Street by a group of German lenders, which had run out of patience with its indebted offshore owner. That set the tone for the next few years. Writing about real estate meant writing about the busting of leveraged investors who had gorged themselves in the boom years. Sometimes that busting was spectacular: I was among guests waiting for the party to start aboard tycoon Vincent Tchenguiz's yacht in the south of France in 2011 when he was unavoidably detained in London by the Serious Fraud Office (Vincent and his brother, Robbie, took on the SFO in an epic legal battle and eventually won). Few people then understood that, just two years after the financial crisis, we were already in the foothills of one of the greatest bull runs ever, fuelled by near-zero interest rates and money-printing by central banks. Cheap equity rather than debt reflated the property market, turning homes in Chelsea and Knightsbridge into Monopoly assets. One of those who grasped the scale of the opportunity, the late housebuilding impresario Tony Pidgley, remarked that he emerged from that bonanza with plenty of 'wool on my back'. It culminated in the Spac madness of Covid. Valuations of scalable tech giants exploded. Industries exposed to structural changes in consumers' behaviour — for which, read smartphones and price-conscious shopping — imploded. Becoming retail correspondent in 2013 gave me a front-row seat for corporate dramas such as Tesco's defeat by Aldi and Lidl under Phil Clarke and Marks & Spencer's descent into infighting under Marc Bolland. But it also meant being an undertaker as household names fell into administration or turned to company voluntary arrangements to close stores. That role led me to the scandal of Sir Philip Green and BHS. The Topshop tycoon sold the tatty department store chain for a token £1, apparently in an effort to get rid of its £571 million pension deficit. It went insolvent little more than a year later. Our reporting contributed to forcing Green into repaying £363 million to the BHS pension funds and sending Dominic Chappell, his chancer-buyer, to jail for tax evasion. The BHS saga remains my favourite investigation — and for those who wonder, as far as I can tell Green remains much the same. When we last spoke a couple of years ago, I asked what he was doing after the demise of his Arcadia empire. 'Avoiding wankers like you,' was the response. My favourite scoop was our Saturday-morning revelation that Unilever had tabled a secret £50 billion bid for GlaxoSmithKline's consumer health division. There is nothing like the mixture of elation and relief you feel on opening an email titled 'Response to press reporting' and learning that the M&A story you were 95 per cent sure about is accurate. Tales like these don't come around often. Nor, these days, do colourful interviews. Obtuse and lip-loose is a fruitful but increasingly rare combination. Two of my favourites were The Range founder Chris Dawson — Devon's answer to Del Boy — and outgoing Babcock chairman Mike Turner, who told me he was on his second wife and looking for his third. It is notable that, asked to name the charity they supported, both said the Inland Revenue. Much of the cultural change that has swept the business world over the past few decades has been positive — few would pine for the 1960s industrial days Turner described at aircraft manufacturer Hawker Siddeley, where 'they didn't have toilet doors, so the foreman could march up and down and see you reading The Sun'. But some fun and irreverence has been lost in the institutionalisation of boardrooms. So has some of the risk appetite. These reminiscences are preamble to the announcement that this is my final Agenda column for The Sunday Times. After 15 rollercoaster years, I am leaving to launch a consultancy, Newcome Advisory, which will provide senior media advice to boards and investors, and connect interesting people. It has been a privilege to work at a paper with a business section that pursues big stories. I have been surrounded by talented colleagues — from Ben Marlow, who broke the news of Pfizer's bid for AstraZeneca, to John Collingridge, who dug into the Sanjeev Gupta end of the Greensill scandal and Jill Treanor, who continues to grill bank bosses weekly. I should salute lesser-sung newsroom heroes such as Steve Furlong, a trusty Sherman tank of a chief sub-editor. I would like to thank the many contacts who have fed in tips, often for no other reason than a desire to help. Most of all, though, I would like to thank you, the readers. I have appreciated your feedback, even when it's been blunt. I apologise for the occasional mistake and I hope you have enjoyed the commentary. I know you will be in capable hands under Jon Yeomans, the business editor. I will miss writing this column, which provides the best pulpit in business journalism. But I also look forward to being one of you.
Daily Mail
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Disgraced Norwegian royal accused of sexual assaulting multiple women partied it up at Cannes Film Festival
A disgraced Norwegian royal who has been accused of crimes against multiple women - including rape and assault - partied the week away at the Cannes Film Festival last month, it has been revealed. Marius Borg Høiby, 28, was first arrested on August 4 2024 following a domestic incident with his ex girlfriend, Rebecca Helberg Arntsen, whom he admitted to assaulting in a grovelling statement. He has since been charged with a string of sexual offences, which he denies. In February, a fifth woman came forward and filed a police report saying that Borg Høiby allegedly raped her four months prior at a hotel in Oslo, sources told TV2, bringing forward a new case of 'rape without intercourse'. And last week, a sixth woman was called in for questioning after cops found videos of her on Borg Høiby's phone that were said to have been both serious and degrading, according to Norwegian news outlet Se og Hør . 'He never informed me of this. All the time we have spent together over the past year,' she reportedly told the police. But despite these allegations, Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway's son jetted off to the French Riviera just weeks ago where he lived it up at the Cannes Film Festival, reported Se og Hør . Borg Høiby joined Norwegian businessman Per Morten Hansen, who is a good friend of his father, Morten Borg. He was also seen on board the 165-foot motor yacht 'Da Vinci', a speed marvel worth 20 million dollars owned by entrepreneur and multi-billionaire Vincent Tchenguiz. After his trip at sea, the Crown Princess's son and his pals went to Île Sainte-Marguerite, a small island off the coast of Cannes. The spot is highly popular with celebrities such as Elton John, Leonardo DiCaprio, Beyonce and Jay Z, The Beckhams and The Kardashians. They visited the very exclusive and private La Guérite beach club on the island, which can only be reached via boat. Borg Høiby partied with businessman Rehan Syed, who lives a lavish lifestyle full of attractive women, cigars, fast boats and cars, as seen on his Instagram account. He even travelled to star-studded Monaco to attend the famous Formula 1 Grand Prix on May 25, attended every year by the Monegasque royals, before quietly returning to Norway. Borg Høiby has mostly continued his life as normal since the charges were brought to light in August last year and has since been jetting off with friends to Hemsedal, Copenhagen and Italy. He spent one week in custody in November after he was arrested due to the risk of tampering with evidence, NRK reported at the time. The Oslo police force says the investigation is ongoing and that they have not set an end date. Last week, police attorney Andreas Kruszewski told Se og Hør: 'We can confirm that the investigation into the case complex is still ongoing. Based on this, the police do not want to go into details, and cannot confirm the information from Se og Hør. 'Regarding the use of any coercive measures, there will be an ongoing assessment. We currently have no time frame for when the case will be completed – we will have to come back to that.' Borg Høiby's new lawyer Ellen Holager Andenæs also told the outlet: 'I am more worried about the gathering media pressure than anything else. Otherwise, I am still not commenting on the ongoing investigation.' Among those who have come forward is national media personality Linni Meister, who attended a 'castle basement party' of Borg Høiby's, where the 'attack' is said to have taken place; with police reported to have a video clip. The TV star, 39, reportedly did not remember the alleged assault and only became aware of it after she was informed by law enforcement officials. After the claims came out earlier this year, Linni stated the allegations were 'true' in a Snapchat statement. She has now hit out at Borg Høiby's 'disrespect' in a new podcast 'Puppen og Lillemor' with friend and co-host Mia Gundersen, 63. As reported by Se og hor, Linni became emotional as she slammed the royal for 'running away and going to party' while 'victims' wait for justice. 'He has no respect for himself or his family. Not even for us victims. It's hurtful. What happened afterwards is almost worse for me,' she said tearfully in an episode. 'Instead of doing the right thing, he runs away and goes to a party. I am appalled by how things are being handled by the defendant. And why isn't more happening? It p***es me off! 'If we are going to have a monarchy, we have to be able to trust it. He is not even in a place where he takes care of his health. He travels from country to country to party!' Linni also admitted her heartbreak at the situation, considering she had felt Borg Høiby was a friend. Even when the police had presented her with 'evidence' of her own assault, she said she initially wondered if it had been forged by AI (artificial intelligence). 'Marius doesn't take anything seriously,' she added. 'Everything is like a game to him.' In a statement to the podcast, Borg Høiby's new lawyer Ellen Holager Andenæs referred to an earlier statement made in light of Linni's earlier Snapchat 'confirmation'. 'I am unfamiliar with statements on social media, and of course I have no desire to have opinions about what is said there,' they said. 'I am concerned that Se og Hør really sees reason to refer to that type of statement and reminds me of my call to reflect on the total media pressure in this case. The Norwegian royal family was rocked by Høiby's first arrest at the beginning of August 2024. Pictured with his mother in 2016 'I hope Se og Hør does not think of contacting me every time someone expresses themselves on social media. If so, I can only conclude that the bottom has not yet been reached.' The assault is reported to have taken place in 2018 at a 'party among friends' in the basement of Skaugum Castle in 2018, when Borg Høiby was 21. He dubbed these 'Skaugum Festivals' and reportedly criminal friends including members of motorcycle gangs. After one of these parties, the home was burgled, when a motorcycle gang reportedly stole private items from the Norwegian Royal Family. Items, including silverware, are alleged to have been taken and then attempted to be sold via an auction house. The event is said to have gotten 'completely out of hand' and continued in the castle basement while Borg Høiby's stepfather, Crown Prince Haakon, slept upstairs. Borg Høiby is the stepson of the future king of Norway. He was four when his mother married the future King Crown Prince Haakon of Norway. His half-sister is the future Queen of Norway. It was during the party that Borg Høiby allegedly raped Linni while she was unconscious, local media reported. Police became aware of the alleged crime after discovering three videos and more than 10 photos of the incident on Borg Høiby's laptop, it was reported. Linni was informed about the alleged assault at the Oslo Police Station, where she was shown the reportedly incriminating evidence. Borg Høiby was accused of rape by a fifth woman, which is alleged to have taken place after he was released from police custody for assaulting his girlfriend. It was in March reported that another person had become 'involved in the case' and is said to have been questioned by police 'several times,' according to local outlet Aftenposten. This brought forward a new case of 'rape without intercourse', which allegedly took place late last year - when Borg Høiby was already facing a series of assault charges. 'I can confirm that I have been appointed as a legal aid lawyer for a woman in her 20s,' lawyer John Christian Elden said. 'Beyond that, I have no comment on the case.' That same week, the royal was spotted stepping out in Copenhagen looking unrecognisable, dying his hair dark from white blonde and growing it out. The son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit has also spent time at rehab centres in London since his arrest.
