Being a dictator can’t be easy. All the ruling, the intimidating, and the killing will certainly take its toll on even the strongest of men. That, unfortunately, doesn’t mean that there is a shortage of dictators. In fact, there are more dictators than you likely think, and most of them are living like kings.

Although their leadership styles and personalities may be different, there is one very sizable similarity that all of the men below share. Each and every one of them is extremely wealthy – to the point where it becomes nearly comical (think Scrooge McDuck). While imagining Kim Jong-Un plunge head-first into a swimming pool of gold coins is an amusing image, there’s hardly anything to laugh about.

These dictators have lined their pockets with thick layers of cash at the expense of the people they should be helping. In this article, we will cover 10 of these quasi-kings and try to shine some light on their lives of luxury and remarkable opulence – starting our poorest contender.
#10 – Robert Mugabe ($10 Million)

Don’t be embarrassed if you’ve never heard the name, Mugabe is likely the most “low-key” of dictators that this list will cover. Robert Mugabe is the President of Zimbabwe, and he reportedly has a net worth of over $10 million. While $10 million might not cause you to fall off your chair, it’s worth much more in Zimbabwe dollars. Zimbabwe is infamous for their extremely low GDP per capita. In 2013, as measured in United States Dollars, the GDP per capita was just over $950. To put that into perspective, the GDP per capita in the US was over $53,000 in that same year.

So, how is it that the president of Zimbabwe is living like a king while the rest of the population suffers in poverty? Well, Mugabe’s journey can be easily described as “hero to tyrant”. During his early years, he helped bring freedom to the fellow Zimbabweans, but, unfortunately, the power did not do him any good. Over the years, Mugabe has committed many crimes against human rights, and he is infamously known for referring to homosexuals as “worse than dogs and pigs.”
#9 – Denis Sassou Nguesso ($200-400 Million)

It’s hard to find a solid number when it comes to Congolese President’s net worth. That being said, his piles of wealth are estimated to fall somewhere in the $200 – $400 million range. Even if we assume that the real figure is closer to the lower end of the bracket, $200 million remains a number that most of us cannot even comprehend.

Nguesso has “earned” his millions by exploiting his oil-rich country. The money that he has made of the rich exports went to line his pockets instead of improving the quality of life for his citizens. The President and his family have (reportedly) been spending millions upon millions while traveling. His recent stay at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City has cost him over $400,000 – a bill that Nguesso likely didn’t even blink at.

His family doesn’t lag far behind in their spending. Nguesso Jr. has been spending quite lavishly as well – throwing daddy’s dollars around left and right. Credit card statements show extravagant purchases of quality cotton designed by the likes of Louis Vuitton and Roberto Cavalli.
#8 – Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo ($600 Million)

-Nguema-MbasogoWhen you’re worth over $600 million the difficulty of pronouncing your name doesn’t matter in the slightest. This dictator took the popular approach to wealth (oil) and put a slight twist on it. His rise to power (and subsequently great wealth) began when he suspiciously took over the national treasury to avoid corruption from government officials.

If you had $600 million at your disposal what would you do? Well, Teddy answers that question by parading his fleet of high-end automobiles. His garage stores the finest of cars, amongst which can be found – Bugatti’s, Maseratis and Bentleys. Besides his strong love for cars, Mbasogo also has an eye for architecture. The millionaire dictator owns an elite six-story building in Paris.

The lavish lifestyle isn’t exclusive to Teodoro alone. His family are also not strangers to any whim of their imagination. Last year, his oldest son spent a reported $80,000 at Gucci and over $50,000 and Dolce & Gabbana – in just a month.
#7 – Islam Karimov ($1 Billion)

Next on our list is another “president”. Islam Karimov has been the president of Uzbekistan for more than two decades. During his time as president, Karimov has been noted as making the country his family business. Over the years, he has been accused countlessly for various human right violations, but money clearly clouds all moral judgment. While profiting off of the country, Karimov was able to amass an impressive net worth of a reported $1 billion.

Using his daughters to disperse his wealth all over the world, Karimov is planning for a future in which his family may need to flee Uzbekistan. The money doesn’t sit idle, though, as Karimov’s youngest spawn has recently purchased an estate in Beverly Hills, California. The super modest lodging features three kitchens, a full out spa, and a 60-foot infinity pool, among many other luxurious amenities. Worry not, though, a similar fortress can be yours for just $58 million.
#6 -Ali Bongo Ondimba (Over $1 Billion)

Just like the majority of the men listed above, it’s impossible to say how much the Gabonese President, Ali Ondimba, is actually worth. Many estimates, however claim that the man is worth more than a quarter of his country’s total GDP. It’s both frightening and impressive that one man was able to singlehandedly embezzle 25% (if not more) of a country’s gross domestic product.

The embezzled cash doesn’t sit in a swiss bank earning some serious interest. Quite the opposite, actually – Ondimba and his family are no strangers to lavish spending. Ali owns a ridiculous townhouse in Paris that sits on one acre of land in the very heart of the city of love. His 14 bedroom “cottage” contains some super extravagant amenities – amongst which is a tennis court, a swimming pool, and plenty of parking for guests.
#5 – Bashar al-Assad ($1.5 Billion)

you’ve found the fact that Mr. Ondimba owns a quarter of the nation’s GDP impressive, then Bashar will surely blow you out of the water. The Syrian President owns somewhere between 60 and 70 percent of Syria’s total assets. According to Business Insider, al-Assad also holds over a billion in assets in Hong Kong and Russia.

The al-Assad family has been in power for over 4 decades – over the years the family has clearly managed to maximize their profits. When not oppressing his citizens the President, along with his family loves to travel and spend his hard earned dollars. His wife – Asma has quite a fashion taste, and Bashar has to break bank to please her. The first lady has previously made headlines when she was spending millions on extravagant goods while the Syrian police fired tear gas at the demonstrators.
#4 – Saddam Hussein ($2 Billion)

Hussein was the fifth President of Iraq and had a net worth of an estimated $2 billion prior to his death in 2006. Hussein had a love for palaces, and he intended to build one in every city – in an effort of reminding the Iraqi people of his power. Because of this little project, Hussein’s palace collection accounts for more than 70 astonishing palaces.

While these works of art certainly looked great on the outside, the decor was always a match. In these palaces, one would find mirrored bedrooms, gold toilets, gold toilet paper holders and lamps shaped as women. Most of these palaces sat on vast areas of land – some of which was used to build gigantic zoo’s that would house cheetahs and lions. Arguably, these cheetahs likely lived better than an average Iraqi at the time of Hussein’s reign. It was revealed that at the time Hussein was in power, the GDP per capita was an incredibly low $2,000.
#3 – Kim Jong-Un ($5 Billion)

UnCreating a “top dictator” list of any kind is impossible without at least a mention of North Korea’s lovely Kim Jong-Un. This nearly cartoonish villain is most often spotted wearing a black suit coat and a frown. Contrary to nearly every photograph you’ve seen of the dear leader, his luxurious lifestyle is much more exciting than suggested.

Since Kim is worth over $5 billion, he can throw a few bucks towards having a good time and enjoying the finer things – like alcohol, for example. In one year alone, Jong-Un has reportedly spent over $33 million on alcohol, and more than $600 million on importing luxury goods onto the country (watches, mostly).

Besides his love for fancy watches and quality booze, Kim also has a need for speed. Calling his garage impressive would be an insult. From classic Mercedes-Benz sedans to fancy supercars, Jong-Un has it all while his citizens are forced to suffer in poverty. For some contrast – consider that an average North Korean earns a mere $1500 a year.
#2 – Hosni Mubarak ($70 Billion)

Estimating net worth is a task that becomes increasingly more difficult as the person’s wealth grows more and more. Such is the case with the former Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak. Depending on where you turn, many estimates can be found – with some sources reporting a fortune nearing $70 billion.

Apparently, Mubarak has made his money through military contracts and legitimate business activities – a claim that is quite hard to believe. Then again, how hard can it be to skim off the top on all projects taking place within a country when you happen to be the president of said country?

Much like the rest of the dictators on this list, Mubarak was said to enjoy an opulent lifestyle while the rest of his country was filled with unemployed citizens and barely living wages. Mubarak owns many luxurious properties scattered around the world – most notable of which is likely the six-story Knightsbridge mansion in London, England.
#1 – Muammar Gaddafi (Over $100 Billion)

Even if you aren’t familiar with many names on this list, Muammar Gaddafi is a name you’ve likely heard – and for good reason, too. In his prime, Gaddafi was one of therichest people to ever live – with estimates of his net worth reaching upwards of $200 billion. After his death, investigators found over $67 billion in Europe and America and hypothesized that he had another $40 or so billion elsewhere. Unbeknownst to anyone, Gaddafi has been sending tens of billions of dollars abroad for many years.

So, what does one do when given access to a virtually infinite supply of cash? Well, in reality – just like the cash – the opportunities are endless. Muammar has considered himself somewhat of a fashion icon, a fact that has led him to changing his outfit multiple times a day. Often time the dictator could be spotted wearing all gold everything (he even had a gold gun).

Besides clothes, Gaddafi had a few other vices. Some of his money has been allocated to buying beautiful real estate properties. Among the long list of his properties is an incredibly beautiful London mansion. The 8 bedroom house is riddled with amenities, among which entertainment isn’t hard to find. While, buying millions of dollars worth of real estate is quite impressive, buying several hundred million dollars worth of private jets is just a tad more so.

It’s no secret that money tends to cloud people’s judgement, and assuming that’s the case with the men, it comes as no surprise that some of them are downright crazy.

Between tropical getaways, supercars, Paris apartments and extravagant palaces – these dictators have it all. Although the means by which these men have amassed their great fortunes are more than questionable, it’s still hard not to get anvious.

After all, it’s good to be king.


Source:http://howafrica.com/in-photos-top-10-dictators-that-took-living-like-kings-to-a-whole-new-level/