Malaysian business tycoon and alleged royal descendent Kamal Ashnawi claims to be the world's richest man.
Actually, he doesn't make that claim outright.
But he has told the Malaysian media, in a press conference, that he's worth $6.4 trillion. As the Malaysian Insider notes, that's well in excess of the estimated worth of Mexican telcom boss, Carlos Slim Helú, largely recognized as planet earth's wealthiest individual.
Those holdings would also make Ashnawi the world's first trillionaire.
So where's all the dough from? An inheritance from Javanese kings, of course.
Ashnawi, according to the Malaysian Insider, says he holds HSBC bank statements proving his worth. And, according to the New Straits Times, he expects to be crowned the king of Indonesia soon. (Fact: Indonesia is not, and never was, a kingdom.)
It gets better.
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.
Ashnawi is, however, very rich. He's the CEO of Sierra Petroleum World's presence in Malaysia.
By the way, if Ashnawi wants to help prove his majestic lineage, assert his future kingship of Indonesia and perhaps offer PDFs of his bank statements, he should consider contacting Rice Bowl.