6 highlights
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So here are some steps they can take to safeguard their loot. First, stay away from social media.
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Second, avoid purchases so conspicuous that they make headlines.
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Third, keep an emergency stash close to hand. The late Robert Mugabe, who misruled Zimbabwe for three decades, always travelled with a suitcase of “coup money”, in case he was ousted while abroad.
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One way to protect overseas assets is to claim they belong to the state. The younger Mr Obiang stopped France from selling his home in Paris by insisting it was owned by his country’s embassy. His lawyers also say that a $100m superyacht seized by the Netherlands was a naval vessel.
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Prosecutors are mystified as to what military purpose might be served by the upper deck’s jacuzzi.
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Another way to elide the distinction between public and personal property is to be royal.