A billionaire Arab sheikh is being sued by the former head gamekeeper of his estate in the Scottish Highlands.

Sheikh Maher Al-Tajir, whose family owns 24,000 acres of land in Perthshire and the Highland Spring bottled water company, is accused of unfairly dismissing Chris Mulqueeney and reneging on a deal to pay bonuses allegedly promised to him.

The sheikh, a member of the Dubai royal family and reputedly one of the world’s richest men, is accused of conducting a witch-hunt to remove Mr Mulqueeney from his job after the gamekeeper complained that his bonuses had not been paid.

Mr Mulqueeney, 48, giving evidence at an employment tribunal in Edinburgh, said that he had moved his family 550 miles from Kent to work on the sheikh’s estate in early 2001. He said that Mr Al-Tajir had promised to pay him 10p for each grouse and pheasant he helped to rear, and the same for every bird shot by estate visitors – subject to an “above normal” rise in the capital value of the estate.

The sheikh, who is not attending the tribunal, has denied making any such agreement.

Mr Mulqueeney said that the alleged promise had never been confirmed in writing. “Mr Al-Tajir never puts anything in writing,” he said. “You won’t find anything in writing. It’s all verbal.”

He added that Mr Al-Tajir had repeatedly telephoned him during the late summer and autumn of 2000 as he prepared to leave his job in England to move with his wife and young children to Scotland. “A bit later on I had to ask him not to ring me quite so much,” he said.

Mr Mulqueeney claims that, as a result of him airing his bonus grievance, a vendetta was instigated against him. He was subsequently relieved of his duties after claims of misconduct. Various accusations were made against him, including claims that he threatened a gardener.

Mr Al-Tajir, 50, is the nephew of Mahdi Al-Tajir, a former United Arab Emirates Ambassador to Britain who is known for his highly valuable collection of pearls, antique silver and Persian carpets.

The hearing continues.

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