Tupac‘s sister is suing the executor of the rapper’s estate for embezzlement.
As reported by Billboard, court documents confirm that Tupac’s sister Sekyiwa Shakur is suing Tom Whalley. She alleges that Whalley has used revenue from Amaru Records – the label set up by her and Tupac’s late mother, Afeni Shakur, in order to distribute Tupac’s studio and posthumous albums – to give himself a payout of $5.5 million over the past five years.
“He has effectively embezzled millions of dollars for his own benefit well in excess of what would be reasonably necessary to retain a properly qualified third-party to perform such services,” a petition to the court from Sekyiwa’s attorneys explains.
“As a result, Whalley has unreasonably enriched himself at the expense of the beneficiaries and in bad faith by taking excessive compensation in a position from which he should properly be barred based on the inherent conflict of interest.”
It was Tupac’s mother Afeni who was left as his sole beneficiary after the rapper’s tragic death in 1996. When she then died two decades later, Whalley replaced her as the trust’s executor, tasked with transferring its benefits to Sekyiwa.
That hasn’t happened, according to Sekiwah’s representatives. They allege that Whalley has consistently withheld funds and assets from their client, and has persistently failed to provide clear information on the estate’s finances.
“Clearly enough is known to warrant placing control of the Trust… in the hands of someone appointed by the Court, who will be compensated only in accordance with normal standards for a Trustee, and who will not have personal financial motives to deprive the beneficiaries and the Trust of the Trust’s assets and the beneficiaries of their rights,” Sekyiwa’s legal team argue.
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Whalley’s lawyer, however, has denied Sekyiwa’s allegations. “These legal claims are disappointing and detrimental to all beneficiaries of the trust,” he told Rolling Stone. ‘We are confident the Court will promptly conclude that Tom has always acted in the best interests of Amaru, the trust, and all beneficiaries.”
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