Photo: Mujahid Safodien

He chose the Holiday Inn over luxurious hotels that “feel like mortuaries”, opting to stay there so that he could mingle with his countrymen and women, comprised mostly of Qatari airways crew members.

And the missing millions he had in his hotel room safe were mainly “donations from friends”, as he had brought in a “considerable” amount of cash when entering the country last month.

These were Farid Alshabbar’s words when asked to explain how he managed to get into the country with €500 notes amounting to R1.9 million and still stay at the modest hotel, when Sandton offered a variety of exclusive luxury hotels.

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