Billionaire Arms Trader Who Frittered Away $250,000 A Day

Adnan Khashoggi 1935-2017

Adnan Khashoggi, who has died aged 81, was often described as the richest man in the world. He wasn’t quite that, but the fixer and arms trader spent as though he were. In the 1980s, his extravagance was legendary, said The New York Times – “beyond the limits of vulgarity”. At the height of his wealth, he was said to be worth $4bn, and to be spending $250,000 a day. He owned 12 estates, including a pleasure palace near Marbella that had the world’s biggest outdoor dance floor; an 180,000-acre ranch in Kenya; and a two-storey Fifth Avenue residence created from 16 existing apartments. He travelled between them in 100 limousines, three lavishly fitted commercial-size jets, and a fleet of yachts, including the 85m-long mega-yacht Nabila (named after his daughter). Used in the Bond film Never Say Never Again, and later bought by Donald Trump, it had hand-carved onyx bathroom fittings and, in the vast master suite, a solid gold basin.