Cuba's President Fidel Castro on Monday furiously denied a story in Forbes magazine that he was worth $900 million (R5.7 billion), and announced that he would step down as ruler on the Latin American nation if the magazine could prove the assertion.
Forbes is a business and financial magazine founded in 1917 by BC Forbes.
The magazine ranked Castro as the seventh-wealthiest ruler in the world in its annual tally of the Fortunes of Kings, Queens and Dictators.
Castro went on television brandishing a copy of the US-based magazine to tell Cubans the story was a "repugnant slander" by a capitalist publication.
With communist Cuba's central bank governor at his side, Castro challenged Forbes magazine to prove the allegation.
"If they can prove that I have a bank account abroad with $900 million, $1 million, $500 000, $100 000 or $1 in it, I will resign," he said at the end of a four-hour broadcast. - Reuters