The Sultan of Brunei was said to be the lead bidder for the Plaza Hotel and the Dream Hotel in New York City as well as London’s Grosvenor House, according to published reports late last week and over the weekend, but one update Monday indicated the sultan was not interested in the properties.
Earliler reports said Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah would acquire the three properties for approximately US$2.2 billion from India’s Subrata Roy, who is currently in jail on contempt-of-court charges, and profits would be used to pay his bail bond.
However, on Monday Reuters quoted an email from a spokesman for the Sultan of Brunei that stated, “Neither His Majesty, the Brunei Investment Agency nor the Government of Brunei are involved in any way in the purchase of the Grosvenor House in London or the Plaza and Dream Downtown hotels in New York.”
These reports have spurred action from various human-rights activists opposed to laws that could lead to harsh punishments for homosexuals and women in the sultan’s country. Groups such as the Human Rights Campaign are calling on New Yorkers to oppose the prospective sale of the Plaza to the sultan, the New York Daily News reported.