Sapamurat Niyazov

Country: Turkmenistan
Ruled: 1990-2006
Deposed: Died
Exiled: N/A
Wealth: $3 billion

Sapamurat Niyazov ran Turkmenistan for 16 years after the Soviet Union fell apart, imprisoning, torturing and exiling political opponents, while appointing himself President for Life. Few dictators have been crazier. Niyazov banned opera and ballet, replaced the word ‘bread’ with his mother’s name, replaced January with his own and built huge golden statues of himself, one of which rotated to face the sun. Niyazov also closed libraries, shut down internet cafes and wrote himself into the national anthem. Meanwhile, he allegedly helped himself to $3 billion from the country’s rich oil and gas revenues, banking most of it in Germany. He died of a heart attack in 2006.  As far as we know, no one has recovered his money.