|
 Swiss prosecutors said in February that they had closed an
inquiry into Teodoro Nguema Obiang for money-laundering and
misappropriation of public assets with an arrangement to sell
the cars to fund social programs in the former Spanish colony.
Twenty-six Ferraris, Lamborginis, Bentleys, and Rolls-Royces
owned by the vice president and former agriculture minister
known as Teodorin are displayed at Bonmont golf and country club
in the Swiss village of Cheserex, 30 km (19 miles) from Geneva,
ahead of Sunday's sale.
In all, 75 prestige cars, mostly post-war, will be on the block
at a 12th-Century abbey where telephone banks await bidders.
"We do have a collection of cars from the state of Geneva. It's
a great setting," James Knight, Group Chairman of Bonhams
Motoring Department who will conduct the auction, told Reuters.
Billed as the "Supercar Collection", the Obiang cars do not have
a minimum reserve price and have drawn interest from collectors
in Europe, the United States, Middle East, and Far East, he
said.
Teodorin is the son of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo,
who has ruled the west African state for four decades. Rights
groups have labeled his administration one the world's most
corrupt.
[to top of second column] |
A white 2014 Lamborghini Veneno Roadster, with the initials TNO
painted on the hood and 'gull wing' doors, is the star lot, valued
at 5.2 million to 6.2 million Swiss francs. One of only nine made,
it has 325 km (200 miles) on the clock, and was being inspected by a
potential German bidder kneeling in the grass.
"It is the first time such a car is being offered at public
auction," Knight said. "Buyers want a car to have had few owners, a
service handbook and a low odometer reading."
All but one of the 26 cars from the Obiang collection will be
subject to import tax if they remain in Switzerland, Knight said.
"They didn't have Swiss tax paid and are not Swiss-registered," he
said.
A 1956 Aston Martin Lagonda, owned by Claude Nobs, the late founder
of the Montreux Jazz Festival, is also on offer.
The Rolling Stones, Petula Clark, Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone,
David Bowie and Freddie Mercury are among performers to have ridden
in the raspberry vintage vehicle, the catalogue said.
($1 = 0.9910 Swiss francs)
(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
[© 2019 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2019 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
