Channel 4 star appears in court accused of swindling £2m in luxury home renting ‘scam’
AN INTERNATIONAL TV property developer has been accused of swindling £2 million from renting out an exclusive home to tenants in London.
Kam Babaee, 58, faces three charges of fraud by abuse of position against Adil Allana, Alexander Kan and Admon Barzilai from June 2020.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard the managing agent is being privately prosecuted for cash allegedly owed to One Unique.
The San Francisco-based property firm is owned by wealthy Iranian-American philanthropist Bita Daryabari, 55.
Rebecca Chalkley KC, prosecuting, revealed today(WED) the case relates to “theft of funds” and “repayment of just over £2 million”.
Babaee, carrying an Aldi bag for life, entered no plea as he attempts to throw out the private prosecution before it reaches crown court trial.
The grandad-of-one, defended by Henry Hughes, was bailed but ordered to surrender his passport and not to apply for travel documents due to links with Iran.
Judge Daniel Sternberg said: “Your case will next be heard on October 11. I’m going to grant you bail to return to this court for that hearing.”
Babaee, who lives in a £7 million mansion in Chiswick, West London, previously appeared on Channel 4’s Britain’s Most Expensive Houses and Channel 5‘s Sally Lindsay’s Posh Sleepover.
He was a business associate of billionaire Phones 4 U tycoon John Caudwell and has been pictured at a glitzy do with Boris Johnson, while also playing table tennis with the ex-PM.