A warrant was issued yesterday for the arrest of the Sultan of Brunei's forklift fleet-owning brother over a GBP3 billion family feud.

Mr Justice Peter Smith issued the warrant at the High Court when Prince Jefri did not appear to give evidence at a five-day hearing, the Evening Standard reported.

The Sultan has accused Prince Jefri, 53, of embezzling GBP8 billion (USD15.7 billion) during his 13-year tenure as finance minister of Brunei. In May 2000, the dispute was resolved in an out-of-court settlement where Jefri agreed to hand over GBP3 billion (USD5.9 billion) from auctioning off his assets that included among many luxury items a forklift fleet (Forkliftaction.com News #247).

Prince Jefri has been accused of breaking the terms of the settlement.