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LEYTON ORIENT owner Francesco Becchetti leaves £20million mansion - days before it emerged he 'could not afford' to pay a long-serving staff member a paltry £6,000.

The multi-millionaire businessman was seen outside his Mayfair home earlier this month, but did not appear in court today where his rock-bottom side STILL owe huge sums to creditors.

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Wearing a leather jacket with yellow collar, he left the former Red Lion pub, which closed in 2009 and has been turned into a stunning townhouse.

Italian waste management and media magnate Becchetti bought it when he took over the east London club in 2014 when they were on the cusp of the Championship.

An unknown woman also pulled up outside the central London property in a grey chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce.

But he has headed up a disastrous reign since, as Orient tumbled to the very bottom of the entire Football League, where they currently lie seven points from safety.

And today were in the high court over an unpaid £250,000 tax bill, with a very real threat of administration or liquidation.

Around 30 Orient fans piled into the courtroom at the High Court on Monday, with many more outside – but there was no Italian presence anywhere to be seen.

But SunSport's exclusive pictures show he is still in the country, amid rumours he had left for his homeland after refusing to attend games since before Christmas.

Having initially ploughed millions into the club, he threw a strop and stopped putting money in - but he did settle the bill with the taxman today, thus staving off liquidation – for now.

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But the bad news slowly unravelled as it emerged the winding-up petition was taken over by other parties owed money by Orient.

These included matchday stewards provider Central Circle Event Management, who have not been paid £18,000 - and shamefully, a long-serving staff member being owed £6,000.

Waltham Forest Council are owed £35,000, and there are other creditors too who must be paid who are entitled join the continued petition.

Mr Registrar Briggs gave the club until June 12 to pay off sums of money to creditors - time being given as Becchetti's legal representative claimed he is to put a £1m cash injection into the club in the next eight to 10 weeks to cover all debts.

Bobby Friedman, the barrister representing the Leyton Orient Fans’ Trust, also said a process to sell the club might be getting underway in that same time period.

But if the sum is not paid by June, Becchetti - who last year faced an extradition attempt by the Albanian government into a failed hydro-electric scheme in the country - could see the club he owns liquidated.

Fans outside court said Orient, at risk of dropping into the National League, remain in "mortal danger."

Adam Michaelson, the trust's legal adviser, told SunSport: “This is not good news, in fact it puts the club in mortal danger.

“Other people owed money may see this and want to attach themselves to the new petition – I would not be surprised if we owe a lot more debt than just this £60,000.

“The infrastructure of the club has been collapsing for some time now, so I, along with the Fans Trust, call for Francesco Becchetti to get on with it and seek new owners to sell the club as soon as possible, or we face a real threat of liquidation next time around”.

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