nypost | In 2012, Forbes magazine ranked Brunei the fifth-richest nation in the world. Yet there is little fun to be had: Alcohol is banned and there is virtually no nightlife or culture.
“I’m trying to think of a place that’s duller,” Australian writer
Charles James told Fortune in 1999. “Maybe a British village in
midwinter.”
In one way, the brothers adhere to Islamic law: As prescribed, each
has several wives and families. But everything else they do is in
defiance of the Koran and the law they’ve just imposed.
“It’s a radical double standard,” says Jillian Lauren, who wrote
about her life as a member of Jefri’s harem in her memoir, “Some Girls.”
“They have more money than anyone else. I know that they both have been
married and divorced multiple times. It’s really hypocritical.”
“With their money, they could have cured diseases,” an adviser to Jefri
told Fortune. “But they have little interest in the rest of humanity.”
Another described Jefri and his brother as incredibly dim. “They
don’t have a lot of thoughts,” he said. “If you were a fly on the wall
and heard their conversations, they’d take you to Bellevue.”
A third brother, Mohamed, was reported to loathe his brothers’
wantonness and profligacy. But when the Sultan tasked him with
rebuilding the economy that he and Jefri had so badly damaged, he took
more than $2 billion for himself and was promptly fired.
