Jeffrey Epstein failed to buy a multimillion-dollar palace in Morocco the day before his arrest in 2019.
According to documents released by the US Department of Justice last month, the disgraced financier had pursued acquiring Bin Ennakhil, which is Arabic for "between the palm trees", since 2011; however, the purchase could not be finalised due to disputes over the price.
The grand palace in the luxury Palmeraie neighbourhood of Marrakech has been dubbed an architectural masterpiece, built by 1,300 craftsmen and featuring ornate carvings and mosaics.
Epstein signed a $14.95 million wire transfer on July 5, 2019, the day before his arrest, following an agreement to buy the offshore company that owned the property for €18m (£13.3m).
As per the fresh documents, the transfer was Epstein's last major financial transaction in the period before his arrest by US authorities on sex trafficking charges upon his return to New York.
Three days after the arrest, Epstein's accountant, Richard Kahn, cancelled the wire transfer, and the purchase was never completed.
Morocco has no extradition treaty with the US, and local media have speculated that one of Epstein's motivations to purchase the property might have been to find shelter in the country to avoid arrest if new charges were brought against him.
However, a former associate of the convicted paedophile, who wanted to remain anonymous, told the BBC that the transaction showed Epstein "had no clue" about his imminent arrest.
Marc Leon, a partner of Kensington Luxury Properties, told the outlet that Epstein had been eyeing the property since 2011, and at that time, he thought the palace, owned by German waste magnate Gunter Kiss, was overvalued at €55 million.
A source shared that the financier's initial offer was so low that Kiss was offended and refused to deal with Epstein again.
