Christopher Charles Skase was an Australian businessman who later became one of his country's most wanted fugitives, after his business empire crashed spectacularly and he fled to Majorca, Spain.
14 Facts About Christopher Skase
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Christopher Skase's father was Charles Skase, 1948 winner of the Melbourne Sun-Aria, and prominent on-air personality on radio station 3DB, including his role as star of the live-to-air program, The Happy Gang, in the 1950s.
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Christopher Skase slowly developed Qintex and, over several years, turned it into one of Australia's larger corporations.
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In March 1981 as chairman, Christopher Skase announced that the company had acquired a 5.89 per cent interest in regional television and radio operator Victorian Broadcasting Network Ltd.
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Christopher Skase owned five resorts as well as interests in the Seven television network and the Brisbane Bears football club.
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Christopher Skase became known for his displays of wealth, with a lavish 40th birthday party in 1988, and a company Christmas party that cost $450,000.
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Christopher Skase demanded that the board pay $13.5 million to a private company that he owned.
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Christopher Skase then demanded the board give him a pay rise, and threatened to resign if he did not receive it.
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Christopher Skase was forced to sell the Seven Network for a tiny portion of what he had paid for it.
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Christopher Skase began to parcel up his remaining wealth, including more than $900,000 worth of antiques and furniture.
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Christopher Skase was charged with improperly using his position to obtain management fees, briefly arrested and spent a night in jail.
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Christopher Skase claimed that he was unable to travel due to a life-threatening lung condition.
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Christopher Skase remained in exile in Dominica until returning to Melbourne in 2008.
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Pixie Christopher Skase died in Melbourne on 15 November 2024, aged 83.