'SMOOTH CRIMINALS'

PARIS Jackson, the daughter of the late ‘King of Pop’ Michael Jackson, claims that executors of his helse estate are getting more money from it than she and her brothers. 

This is the crux of new lawsuit against executors John Branca and John McClain, who run the $464 million (R7.975 billion) fortune left behind after the music icon’s death in 2009.

Following a recent setback in court, the 27-year-old pop starlet has raised alarming concerns regarding the estate’s administration, particularly focusing on a staggering four-year delay in accounting that has left her and her brothers, Prince, 28, and Bigi, 23, in a precarious position.

In a legal filing submitted to the Los Angeles Superior Court, Paris voiced her frustration over receiving the estate’s financial records for the 2021 calendar year only in September 2023. She described this prolonged wait as unjust.

“The executors seem more interested in enriching themselves than protecting our father’s legacy,” Paris claimed in her objection, risking a legal storm aimed squarely at executors John Branca and John McClain. 

The executors reportedly pocketed over $10m (R171m) in 2021 alone, dwarfing the amounts distributed to Paris and her siblings.

Of particular concern to Paris is the financial mismanagement surrounding the estate’s cash, which, if properly invested, could have yielded around $41m (R704m) instead of the paltry return of 0.1 per cent.

Adding fuel to the fire, Paris is outraged over the executors’ involvement in a risky biopic about her father, where it appears their personal interests overshadow legal prudence. Paris’s criticism included hefty payments to Branca's law firm and unapproved bonuses, igniting her worries about the accountability of her father's legacy.