Liz Coindreau, whose very private life was splashed across front pages following allegations of drug trafficking, is now poised to be twice as rich by next year. The self-proclaimed“richest wo-man of Flic-en-Flac”, whose wealth is evaluated at Rs 500 m by her inner circle, will be doubling her riches by next year. This 45-year old woman with only six years’ primary education has grown from rags to riches. Her fairy tale is still unfolding with three major projects: construction of a complex with Dior shops, VIP Room for the jet set and private club opposite Flic-en-Flac public beach, building of a dozen Rs 10 m luxury villas on the beach front at Tamarin and creation of a huge complex of 120 apartments to be sold between Rs 3 to Rs 5 million on Trianon riverbank.

She jumped into the real-estate business after buying a plot of land in Flic-en-Flac for Rs 500 000 in 1989, while on honeymoon with her British husband. She then bought and sold many plots of land in the vicinity before entering, with the help of husband Marc, a building contractor, into construction.

She has since built and sold 138 apartments, 43 bungalows and 38 villas in no time and is collecting money by the million as if she were playing monopoly. Her secret, according to her, lies in her marketing within the Mauritian community in UK. For many expatriates, a villa at Rs 10 m is affordable and a flat at Rs 4 m is chicken feed.

She forcefully denies having indulged in any type of trafficking and points to the fact that most of those in the building business with a vision have grown rich. Doodursan Bunjun and Armand Apavou started as stone masons and have reached millionaire status. Liz Coindreau is now trying to clear her name in court through private prosecution against those who leveled accusations against her. But this does not prevent her from contemplating big, innovative projects.

Her idea of a VIP Room, in collaboration with French singer Jean Roch, is one of them. Jean Roch already has three VIP Rooms, in St Tropez, on the Champs-Elysées and in Luxembourg. Sting, Enrique Iglesias, Elton John, Patricia Kaas, Lionel Ritchie, Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez are some of the “frequent celebrities” there.

The Flic-en-Flac one will be opened by tenniswoman Mauresmo and singers Tina Turner and Johnny Halliday next year. By then, Liz Coindreau will have become more than a billion-rupee woman.