INVESTIGATION: Dubai hotel apartment where Hushpuppi lived for ‘33 months’ costs N700,000 per night
The hotel suite where ‘celebrity hacker’ Ramon Olorunwa Abass aka Hushpuppi lived for several months in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), costs more than N700,000 per night, investigations by Neusroom have revealed.
The Palazzo Versace Dubai is a luxury 5-star hotel located in Jaddaf Waterfront, Al Jaddaf in Dubai. According to information on its website, the hotel is less than 15 minutes away from Dubai International Airport and eight minutes away from the famous Burj Khalifa. The magnificent structure sits along the shores of the historic Dubai Creek.
Versace’s Medusa insignia are copiously imprinted on different parts of the hotel, from the marbles on the ground to the walls and the chairs in the room.
His choice of the Palazzo Versace Dubai Hotel may not be unconnected with his widely known penchant for luxury. On October 18, 2018, Hushpuppi shared a Versace-themed cake he was gifted by the hotel for his birthday on October 11.
From the series of photos posted on his Instagram page starting September 2017, Neusroom was able to trace the hotel and the suite the alleged fraudster stayed for several months after relocating to Dubai from Malaysia in 2017.
Neusroom examined several photos and videos he took in the living room, bathroom, the bathtub, other parts of the suite and the hotel surroundings which he shared on his Instagram page and his best friend, Sikiru Adekoya’s page.
When we compared these posts with photos on the website of the hotel, we discovered that Hushpuppi lived in the ‘Three Bedroom Residence’ which costs AED 7,325 per night (N769,125 at N105 exchange rate), according to information on the hotel’s website.
When Neusroom correspondent sent an email to the hotel seeking enquiry on cost of the apartment for longer stay, a representative of the hotel called our correspondent on Monday morning after three days and assured him that he would be given a discount if he is staying for three months as indicated in the email.
The representative wrote in an email:
“Three Bedroom Residence without Private Pool – AED 315,000 (including all taxes) + Tourism Dirham Fee of AED 20 per bedroom per night (3 bedroom x 20 x 90)
“Three Bedroom Residence with Private Pool – AED 365,000 (including all taxes) + Tourism Dirham Fee of AED 20 per bedroom per night (3 bedroom x 20 x 90)
The email further read:
“At the same time, we will be happy to extend 25% discount on F&B (excluding Qs Bar and Tobacco), laundry and Spa for all the guests.”
Some features of the suite include: Front door intercom with video screen, spacious living room with 55” high definition LED television, large balcony, multiplayer charging kit, iPod docking station and DVD player.
The master bedroom has a king size bed, 55” high-definition television, walk-in wardrobe, jacuzzi, walk-in shower, with Versace branded amenities.
Neusroom findings further revealed that Hushpuppi started posting pictures from the hotel room in September 2017 up till June 6, 2020 (his last Instagram post), four days before his arrest on June 10. He appears to have lived in the apartment for 33 months with hotel bills likely running into N421.5 million (for the apartment with a private pool at discounted rate) excluding other expenses on foods and beverages not covered in the hotel bill.
Spending nearly half a billion in hotel bills would appear extravagant for any wealthy businessman. But when compared to the grand total of about N168 billion believed to have been obtained by Hushpuppi and his colleagues, the figure begins to seem insignificant.
“They try to live fast, and make sure they do not have a permanent address”, one source told Neusroom. “And they usually have no care for money. If he spent that much on hotels, you don’t want to imagine what he spent on cars, on drinks, private jets, and even clothes…”.
When another Neusroom correspondent called the hotel to confirm if the alleged celebrity hacker stayed in the hotel, a male representative with African accent who spoke with the correspondent said he could not confirm.
