The Secret Life of D’Arros Island
D’Arros Island is at the centre of a storm in France. In Seychelles, the mystery is no less intriguing. The island has been among us like an unseen presence, with a secret life of its own. Seychellois know very little about it and what goes on there, which is also the case for many of our other islands.
Some of the island’s history is now being revealed for the first time as it gets front page attention from many publications in France, following revelations that it was part of a tax evasion scandal. After secret tape recordings of the conversations of Lilianne Bettencourt, heiress of the L’Oréal fortune, mentioned transactions over the island, the French media have been probing how the islands changed hands and what may have happened on it.
Farhad Vladi, who has made an uncertain reputation as the man who sells islands all over the world, claims to have been the one who sold D’Arros on behalf of its former owner, Prince Shahram Pahlavi of Iran. According to the Indian Ocean Newsletter, Vladi has had several Seychelles islands to sell in the past including Anonyme, Alphonse, Cousine, Fregate, Felicité and Chauve Souris.
D’Arros stands out as being the most important of the lot. The price publicized for it at the time of the sale was $15 million. One intriguing part of the story of D’Arros is how it managed to stay in the hands of the Pahlavis when the socialist Government of Albert René took over all the other islands of its category from private owners. According to one French journalist, a former Minister in the Government of Iran has said they were approached by representatives of the Seychelles Government after the coup d’etat who asked that the outstanding payments be made to them. No transactions involving the island has ever been made public in Seychelles.
A sa
tellite picture of
D’Arros gives a general view
of the island, showing the
main villa with swimming
pool, some chalets and other
buildings. According to the
tape recordings of Mrs.
Bettencourt’s conversations,
between 50 to 60 million
euros have been spent on the
island. The French media is
eager to know what has been
done for that kind of money.
They are also keen to know
who has been visiting and
using the island, probably to
explore Mrs. Bettencourt’s
links with political figures.
In Seychelles, D’Arros Development Pty. Ltd. which is the management company for the island, still has Prince Shahram Pahlavi and Princess Nashraf Afshar as its principal owners. An annual return was filed for the year 2009. This suggests a continuing relationship between the former and the present owners.
Source: Regar 7-2-10