The Qatari royal family falls for the Belgian city of Malmedy

Mohamed Maspahi, the owner of the Mont-Regi restaurant in the Belgian city of Malmedie, institution for walkers and skiers visiting the region, will have to leave because his owner wants to carry out important maintenance works. If he is furious at having to leave after operating this place for around 17 years, the manager has few means to convinc the owner to stay: The Emir of Qatar.

The Belgian radio station Ciel fm reported in a press release that Masbahi confirmed that "the parent company is in Paris", and behind this holding company we talk about the former ruler of Qatar.

This is not the only property owned by the Qatari Royal family in the region. The former Emir of Qatar bought another property, where he spends few days every year.   “He has four or five bodyguards with him, the city inhabitants saw him many times walking and looking at the shops.” Musbahi said about the Qatari Emir.

The report also notes that the former Emir of Qatar owns dozens of apartments in Malmidi that are already built or under construction, such investments are known to most residents. "There are many buildings here owned by the royal family, including the stadium here in Malmedi," Musbahi says. 

The report notes that the former emir of Qatar was very impressed by this Belgian region after being introduced to it by Freddy Herbrand, a former Belgian athletics player who oversees the development of athletics in Qatar.

For his part, André Blaise, president of the athletics club in Malmedi confirms: “The former Emir of Qatar visits to the region regularly during this period for hunting, in October and November, and over time I think he had opportunities to buy real estate or build some in the center of the city."

 The report concludes that the city's supervisors and the Belgian athletics team have regularly welcomed the former Qatari ruler because when it was necessary to find funding for the new track, they could count on the Emir. For instance, he once gave them a gift worth 1.5 million euros.