KAMAL ASHNAWI: IS THIS ALLEGED TRILLIONAIRE YOHANNES RIYADI?

Thanks to a tip from a reader, I tracked down a so called trillionaire named Kamal Ashnawi. Oddly, I had months previous tagged an article about him and just got around to reading it today. In it, we have someone claiming to be the world's richest man, an estimated $6.4 trillion euros at least according to some documents he produced. Supposedly, he inherited the fortune in priceless art, gold, silver and precious gems from all the wealth ever gathered by ancient China, India, Java and Siam from which he is also of alleged royal blood. To look at him, he seems quite ordinary and his tale is most likely a giant fish story told by someone looking for profit, fame and/or is just insane. If he is for real could he be the mysterious Yohannes Riyadi, who does not seem to exist while Kamal, even if a liar, is flesh and blood? Perhaps. But what do we know about Kamal? Not much. This is from the AMO Times:

Kamal, 48, a Dutch citizen, claimed, in an article published in The Star yesterday, that he was a descendant of royal families in China, India, Java and Siam.

He said 86.7% of the money in the world belonged to him as he had treasures hidden in a three-metre-high cave, with gold bars stacked up like a pagoda, US$15mil (RM46mil) in jade and US$10mil (RM31mil) in diamonds and stacks of US dollars.

Kamal, who hopes to be recognised as the Emperor of Indonesia soon, claimed that the treasures belonged to the dynasties that ruled China, and that there was more in other mountains and vaults all over the world.

He had shown documents, allegedly from a London branch of HSBC, to prove that he has five trillion euros (RM20 trillion) in an account there.

Kamal said he had come forward because there were too many false claims by others who said they were owners of the royal assets.

Both the local and London branches of HSBC bank declined to verify Kamal’s claims, citing confidentiality.

Here is where is gets weird. The guy, who may be delusional to the nth degree mind you, is also a highly skilled, very intelligent man who has several degrees, 16 international passports, and a world traveler. He is also very rich, as CEO of Sierra Petroleum World in Malaysia. However, here's a quote from Kamal that may have you think that he really IS insane from Malaysian Digest:

He is said to be traveling exclusively with his private jet and enjoys his singledome since he has eight ‘dayangs’ (female attendees) to cater his every whims. During the interview, he tells that once he is crowned as the Emperor of Indonesia, he will have 800 ‘dayangs’ and 1,200 bodyguards accompanying him, and he will have eight private planes traveling with him whenever he visits a country.

Tell me that doesn't sound looney toons. It's also possible. Highly unlikely, but not beyond the realm of chance. How scary is that? This is from global post:

Ashnawi says his riches were inherited through the Combined International Collateral of the Global Debt Facility "set up in 1875 by the world’s royal families," reports the Malaysian Insider.

These funds are managed by the Office of International Treasury Control, a highly shadowy group that claims to control major assets and occasionally promises major purchases but can't quite prove they actually exist.

This is the group's horrifically designed Web site.

The site is odd and appears to either be part of a spectacular hoax or disinformation site, hard to tell which. Are they legitimate? Don't know. There have been rumors of huge cash deposits like this one for years. One is supposedly being accessed by the Bush family taken from Nazi's during WW2. Another is a huge slush fund being used by the CIA to funnel drug money to black opt projects. And now this. It is as of right now impossible to know which is true. If more information comes out, I will update this, but for now reason states he's a loon. Incredible claims demand incredible proof and so far, this guy hasn't provided any. So like so many other mysteries throughout history, this one will have to remain open until more facts emerge.