Pop star Michael Jackson moved to more welcoming places following the acquittal in his child molestation trial, living for a while in Bahrain but this experience has turned sour too, as the singer has been sued for allegedly owing the monarch’s son $7 million.

Sheikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the son of Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, king of Bahrain, is seeking $7 million from Michael Jackson at London’s Royal Courts of Justice.

Lawyers for the sheikh say the sum was given as an advance to the singer, for an album and an autobiography that were ultimately not produced by Jackson. The sheikh is an amateur songwriter and he would have collaborated with Jackson on the album, reports the Associated Press. He sought to help the troubled artist rebuild his career, Bankim Thanki, a lawyer for Al Khalifa, said.

Jackson on the other hand maintains the money was a gift.

In court Monday, Thanki said the sheikh first talked to Jackson by telephone when the singer was still in the midst of his child molestation trial and offered to help Jackson. He helped the King of Pop move with his children and entourage to Bahrain, paid his legal fees and covered other expenses supporting Jackson. This amounted to millions of dollars, Thanki said.

The sheikh also made gifts to the King of Pop, the lawyer explained, such as jewelry and watches, but most of what Jackson received was considered to be part of a business deal. Al Khalifa covered such expenses as a European vacation for Jackson and his associates and flying Jackson’s hairdresser overseas. The two, who became close, even lived in a palace in Abu Dhabi owned by the king.

Jackson lied for nearly a year in Bahrain as guest of the sheikh, who governs the country’s Southern Province.

Michael Jackson, 50, was not in court Monday as the trial opened. His lawyers said he would seek permission to testify via video from the United States.

Michael Jackson was arrested in 2003 on charges of child molestation at his famed Neverland Ranch in Santa Barbara, California. He encountered financial difficulties that have plagued him ever since. Earlier this month, he filed legal papers in California making the Sycamore Valley Ranch Company the new owner of Neverland Ranch.

Sycamore Valley Ranch Co. is a joint venture between Jackson and an affiliate of Colony Capital LLC, the company which bailed the singer out in March when he owed $24.5 million on the property. When Colony acquired the debt, Neverland was a mere week away from being auctioned off.