Uk: Last-Minute Bid To Settle Jackson's Spat With Songwriting Sheikh Out Of Court

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Lawyers in talks over pounds 5m claim

By Patrick Foster

MICHAEL JACKSON'S plan to appear in a London court to fight claims that he owes an Arab sheikh nearly pounds 5million was in doubt last night (Sunday) as talks aimed at striking an out-of-court settlement continued.

Lawyers for Mr Jackson and Sheikh Abdulla bin Hamad al-Khalifa, the second son of the King of Bahrain, were trying to put the finishing touches to an agreement that would allow the singer to avoid travelling to London to give evidence against a claim that he owes the sheikh more than dollars 7 million.

The sheikh claims that he helped to fund Mr Jackson's defence against child molestation charges in California in 2005, paid for the star to live a life of luxury in Bahrain and shouldered significant fees for hiring staff and studios to record music.

It is claimed that Mr Jackson agreed to repay the money via royalties earned from the sale of songs written by the sheikh that he would perform, as well as by the sale of his autobiography and by a stage show. The High Court was told that the pair had a "close personal relationship", but Mr Jackson reneged on the deal.

Robert Englehart, QC, representing Mr Jackson, applied initially for permission for the singer to give evidence via videolink from Los Angeles, claiming that he was suffering from an unspecified illness that made it difficult for him to travel. However, on Thursday they withdrew that application after medical reports showed that he was fit to fly.

Last week the court was told that Mr Jackson and the sheikh signed an agreement under which they would release music written by the sheikh under their jointly owned 2 Seas label.

One of the songs was to be He Who Makes the Sky Grey, written by the sheikh to be released as a charity single for the benefit of the victims of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.

Bankim Thanki, QC, for the sheikh, told the judge, Mr Justice Sweeney, that he would hear a recording of the single. "It shows the quality of Sheikh Abdulla's songwriting skills and that of Mr Jackson's voice," Mr Thanki told the court.

The court was told that the sheikh, who is also the Governor of the Southern Governorate of Bahrain and head of the country's Public Commission for the Protection of Marine Resources, Environment and Wildlife, set Mr Jackson up with a recording studio at his Neverland ranch before sending him his compositions.

He paid the singer dollars 35,000 to cover bills at Neverland, before advancing dollars 1million at the request of one of Mr Jackson's aides.

It is the sheikh's claim that he made many more payments, including covering Mr Jackson's dollars 2.2million legal bill after his criminal trial. He said that he even settled a pounds 175,000 bill for Tony Buzan, a "motivational guru" and "mind-mapping" expert, to work with the singer.

Mr Jackson travelled to Bahrain as a guest of the sheikh after being acquitted of the molestation charges, but the court was told that the singer left the country in May 2006 to go to an awards ceremony and never returned.

The next month the sheikh was asked to sign a document releasing Mr Jackson from his obligations under the contract but he refused, Mr Thanki said. "The last thing Sheikh Abdulla expected was that he was never coming back," he said. "My client felt a strong sense of personal betrayal because this was someone he considered a close personal friend. The work they had done together and the plans for the future all seemed to be totally frustrated."

Mr Jackson claims that they had no agreement, that any money given to him was a gift and that the sheikh's case is built upon "mistake, misrepresentation and undue influence".

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