A former Saudi Arabian diplomat has lost his rental bond after a tribunal rejected his claim to diplomatic immunity and found he caused damage to floorboards estimated at $20,000 to replace.
Two Canberra landlords took former Saudi Arabian embassy cultural attaché, Mundeef Shanar F Alkahtani, to the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
There, they sought to claim the full $2578 rental bond following a tenancy at a Canberra suburb that ended in September 2025. The claim covered water-damaged floorboards and the removal of a dishwasher they claimed was the tenant's responsibility.