Here is a piece of news that could make rumour mongers happy. Congress President Sonia Gandhi is the 12th richest political leader in the world, says a report in a vernacular daily newspaper.
With $2 billion wealth, Gandhi is even richer than, hold your breath, Elizabeth II, the Queen of England and Bashar Al-Assad, President of Syria. The list includes kings, presidents, sultans and queens with most rich leaders among the top 20 originating from the Middle East region.
To arrive at the list, HuffPost compared each country’s GDP per capita juxtaposed with a leader’s personal net worth. It notes that this was to “show how different life is for the haves and have-nots.” India’s GDP per capita is $1,500, while Sonia Gandhi is worth $2 billion.
So, who does the Indian Congress leader beat in the rich leaders’ list? There is Albert II, Prince of Monaco who is worth $1 billion. Qaboos bin Said, Sultan of Oman is next on the list, worth $700 million and Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, President of Equatorial Guinea is worth $600 mn. Bashar Al-Assad, President of Syria is 16th on the list with riches worth $550 million while his country’s GDP per capita is $3,000. But the most surprising fact is that Elizabeth II, Queen of England ranks much lower than Gandhi in the list with riches worth $400 million to $500 million.
The report does not, however, clearly state how it has arrived at the conclusion. For Gandhi, this is nothing new. Her wealth has always been a subject of intense speculation. In March 2012, a report said Gandhi is the fourth-richest politician in the world and wildly estimated her wealth between $2-19 billion.
Meanwhile, as per the National Election Watch website of the Association for Democratic Rights, Sonia Gandhi has assets worth Rs 1.38 crore. She neither owns a car nor a house in India and has 2.5 kg of gold and 88 kg of silver. The latest report comes at a time when the country entering election mode and will only help add grist.
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