Sara Qurashi “justiceformydad.com is for ALL the children of ALL the people in Dubai jail for finance related cases

A girl whose property developer dad is in Dubai Central Prison for bouncing cheques has expanded her campaign to free her father to help kids whose parents are in Dubai’s jail for financial crimes.

Thirteen-year-old Sara Qurashi’s millionaire father Safi was jailed two years ago after, he claims, clients misused security cheques he’d written.

Despite claiming to have paid off the money Qurashi, CEO of Premier Real Estate in Dubai, which bought the UK and Moscow islands on The World development, remains incarcerated until a civil appeal is resolved.

Sara has now dedicated her website justiceformydad.com to the children of other prisoners.

She said: “justiceformydad.com is for ALL the children of ALL the people in Dubai jail for finance related cases.”

continue reading original source 7Days

Sheikh Sultan Bin Kayed al-Qassimi – UAE ruling family member – held after reform calls

The United Arab Emirates has detained Sultan Bin Kayed al-Qassimi, who leads a major reformist group in the Persian Gulf kingdom and is a cousin of Ras al-Khaimah ruler Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr al Qasimi.

Armed officers arrested Sultan al-Qassimi without an arrest warrant or indictment on Friday, his son, Abdullah al-Qassimi, told the CNN.

“My father has been arrested on Friday night. We were surprised when armed men came to the house. They took him to the palace of Sheikh Saud al-Qassimi,” Sheikh Abdullah al-Qassimi told Reuters by telephone. “He has been kept alone in a locked room with armed guards,” he said after visiting Sheikh Sultan, denying that his father had been detained due to a family spat.

Sultan Bin Kayed al-Qassimi, the president of the “Call of Reform,” was arrested upon the order of the Abu Dhabi monarchy.
While the reasons for al-Qassimi’s arrest are still unknown, he is expected to be transferred to Abu Dhabi, said his son, adding that the activist may hire an attorney to defend him against potential charges.
Al-Qassimi became the head of the “Call for Reform” two years ago. The members of the group have been subject to prosecution due to their reformist activities.

So far, seven members of the Call for Reform have been denaturalized, six of whom incarcerated over their denial to leave the country.

sources .. The Daily Star    Kippreport  AFP

Dubai Unpaid Workers refuse to leave the Emirate

A group of foreign workers in the United Arab Emirates Dubai  has set up camp in the desert, refusing to leave until they are paid what they say they are owed by employers who have deserted them.

One charity says there has been an increase in cases like this, but the government has yet to weigh in.

The case has been before the courts for months, but many workers live in dire conditions as they wait for payment.

Al Jazeera reports from Dubai.

Nie wieder Dubai – Wie der Arzt Dr. Eugen Adelsmayr zum Justizopfer in Dubai wurde

Ignorierte Gutachten, gefälschte Anklagen – Arabische Kollegen wollen sich vermutlich rächen

Wie der Arzt Dr. Eugen Adelsmayr zum Justizopfer in Dubai wurde.
(Welt Online)

Ein ausführlicher Bericht(Interview)  in der Welt Online berichtet darüber, wie der österreichische Arzt Eugen Adelsmayr die andere Seite des Emirats Dubai kennenlernte. Eine ziemlich hässliche Seite.

Dass das Emirat Dubai eine autoritär regierte Klassengesellschaft sei und er nicht zu ersten gehöre, das habe er immer gewusst, sagt er, aber was er dort aufs Spiel gesetzt habe, sei ihm erst klar geworden, als er schon festsaß: seinen Ruf, seine Freiheit, eine Weile sogar sein Leben.

Eugen Adelsmayr, Intensivmediziner aus Bad Ischl, ist in Dubai des Mordes angeklagt. Ihm wird vorgeworfen, den Tod eines querschnittgelähmten Patienten aus Pakistan verursacht zu haben, in dem er die Morphiumdosis erhöht, die Sauerstoffzufuhr reduziert und angeordnet habe, ihn nicht wiederzubeleben.

Der Staatsanwalt hat in seiner Anklage die höchstmögliche Strafe für Adelsmayr gefordert: Hinrichtung.

Seit mehr als drei Jahren versucht der österreichische Arzt die Dubaier Behörden davon zu überzeugen, dass er unschuldig ist. Es gibt mittlerweile drei Gutachten, die belegen, dass Adelsmayrs Anordnungen nicht zum Tod des Pakistani geführt haben können, eines von der österreichischen Ärztekammer, eines von der höchsten medizinischen Kontrollinstanz der Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate (VAE).

weiterlesen… Quelle Welt Online

Sheikh Maktoum CEO of Al Fajer Properties committed a fraud and did not pay his debts

Al Fajer Properties “Residential” Tower Jumeirah Business Centre was a Ghost Project

Sheikh Maktoum Hasher Maktoum mislead a German couple in 2008 by suggesting them to deliver an 100 sqm Apartment in a “Residential” Tower , Plot H3 in Jumeirah Lake Towers Dubai. In reality the Tower was planned, market and sold as a 100 % Commercial Tower in 2008.

The Tower developed by Al Fajer Properties  is named Jumeirah Business Centre ( 8/9 – and was also on the market for sale by the name Ebony and Ivory Towers)

After have been mislead, deprived of their property rights by illegal actions and extortion  ,financial and mental extremely damaged by receiving several threats from Al Fajer Properties since 2008 upon 2009,  a criminal complaint was filed in Germany already in August  2009 against the CEO and President of Al Fajer Properties, Maktoum Hasher Maktoum Juma Al Maktoum. The witness hearings and investigations in Germany are still going on. I can be assumed that Maktoum Hasher Maktoum also mislead his lawyers during the period on which he used them for correspondence to commit this fraud.

Several attempts to end the case by paying the debts failed, correspondence sent to Al Fajer Properties from December 2011 to March 2012 , remain unanswered. No doubt Al Fajer Properties is in full legal obligations to pay this debts to the couple , Al Fajer Properties CEO Sheikh Maktoum Hasher Maktoum prefer to remain silent.

Details

Dubai Investors of a Jumeirah Village Circle project demand the return of their money

  DUBAI // Investors who bought apartments in a project at Jumeirah Village  Circle that was never completed say they are prepared to take the developer Ishraqah to court if they do not get their money back.

“I poured my life savings into buying a one-bedroom apartment in the project,” said Swarup Anand, a father of one who invested Dh500,000 in the Seasons development’s Spring cluster.

After the financial crisis only the Summer and Autumn clusters were ever completed, leaving people who bought in the Spring cluster without a property. No homes were sold in the Winter cluster.

“We chose this project because we wanted to go with an established and reputable company,” said Mr Anand, who paid for an apartment in the Spring cluster.

“But from 2009 they kept delaying and delaying. They kept warning us that if we did not keep up with the instalments then we would be charged late fees.”

A spokeswoman for Ishraqah said: “The Spring cluster was indeed cancelled last year. Work on the Winter cluster had never started. The matter is now with the land department.”

continue reading original source The National

Dubai Drydocks World default case won by US Hedge Fond in UK

 Monarch Capital US Hedge Fond  has won a judgment against Dubai’s Drydocks World for last year’s debt default, in the first high-profile case of a Dubai state company being successfully pursued overseas for its debt.

The US hedge fund, which holds $45.5m of the Dubai ship repair company’s debt, took the case to the UK high court. Last week Drydocks World said it had presented a plan to lenders to restructure $2.2bn in loans and extend repayments over five years, Financial Times reported.

continue reading original source Financial Times

Property Investors losing faith in the Dubai Lagoons project

Investors whose apartment blocks remain at basement level or below say they are losing faith in the Dubai Lagoons project, which was originally set for completion in 2008 by the developer Schon Properties.

The AED3bn ($817m) mixed-use development, which has faced a series of difficulties since its launch in 2005, remains strangled by liquidity woes and is still some way off completion, with no firm agreement between parties on how to speed up construction.

“The project is moving, it’s not on hold, but it’s moving very slowly because of cashflow,” a source close to the project told Arabian Business. “The contractors are not being paid. There is payment but it is delayed.”

continue reading original source Arabian Business

Dubai Noor bank US. target over Iran dealings

(Reuters) – The U.S. government has forced Dubai-based Noor Islamic Bank to stop channeling billions of dollars from Iranian oil sales through its accounts, part of Western measures to curb Tehran’s disputed nuclear program.

The move, which took place in December, is embarrassing for traditional U.S. ally the United Arab Emirates because the bank is partly state-owned and its chairman is the son of Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed.

continue reading original source Reuters

Nakheel and Dubai´s Reputation – Interview with Khalaf Al Habtoor

 The headline for this article in Arabian Business was: Nakheel damaging Dubai´s Reputation “two million times for a few dirhams” – Al Habtoor

In an interview with Arabian Business on Sunday Mr. Khalaf Al Habtoor said :Nakheel’s decision to charge for beach access on its flagship Palm Jumeirah project is “dangerous” and “unacceptable” . He strongly hit out at Nakheel, claiming the decision would never have been approved by the Dubai government.

“It was 100 percent [damaging] and unacceptable. If I am buying a house and using the beach and later told I have to pay for the beach, this is abnormal. This is damaging the reputation of my country,” he said.

continue reading original source Arabian Business

Treffpunkt der Spione – Die verschwiegenste Messe der Welt in Dubai

Vergangenen Woche fand sie JW Marriott Hotel in Dubai statt,  die ISS World MEA.  die wohl verschwiegenste Messe der Welt . Abgeschirmt von jederlei Publikumsverkehr oder gar Journalisten waren Geschäftskunden einer ganz besonderen Sorte: Geheimdienstmitarbeiter sowie Staatsschützer, Sicherheitsbeamte und Militärs – vor allem aus dem arabischen Raum.

Angeboten werden Programme, Viren und Trojaner, die – laut Veranstaltungsprogramm – Computer mit “Spionagesoftware infizieren”, mit denen sich aber auch “soziale Netzwerke überwachen” oder “verschlüsselter Datenverkehr aufzeichnen” lassen. Auch für “Handy-Ermittlungen” gibt es Produkte – wobei der Begriff “Ermittlung” in diesem Fall sowohl die Ortung der Geräte wie auch das Abhören umfasst. Als Hauptsponsor der ISS in Dubai trat das Münchener Unternehmen Trovicor auf, berichtet das Handelsblatt.

continue reading original source Handelsblatt

Quelle Handelsblatt Februar 2012

Lesen Sie auch … Horrorszenarien eines Immobilienkaufs in Dubai – Strafanzeige gegen Sheikh Maktoum Hasher Maktoum in Deutschland

Dubai Marina Homeowners are planning legal action against developer

Dubai Homeowners of an upscale 45-storey residential tower in Dubai Marina are planning legal action against the developer, alleging a series of violations, including unfulfilled promises, mis-sale, misappropriation of funds and non-payment of bills to multiple service providers,.

Claire Grainger, Senior Partner from Prestige Advocates & Legal Consultants, who is representing the interim homeowners’ association of the building, said, “We intend to demonstrate in arbitration and court proceedings that either the developer never actually intended to deliver some of the promised facilities or cancelled some of them part way through the construction as published in their marketing material which was used to talk people into buying apartments”,  Gulf News Dubai reported.

continue reading original source Gulf News

Compensation for Breach of Contract Dubai – Damages under UAE Law

Consideration should be given to whether contracts yet to be entered into should specifically address these issues.

But what if the decision is taken not to do so or an existing contract does not address damages?

The Civil Code provides an entitlement to compensation for breach of contract even where the contract itself does not provide for such compensation.

Damages under UAE Law 

The purpose of damages is to compensate a party for any loss suffered as a result of default by counterparty to a contract. 

If damages for a breach of contract are not fixed under a provision of the law or in the contract itself, the Civil Code gives the court discretion to assess compensation “in an amount equivalent to the damage in fact suffered at the time of the occurrence”. The focus here is on the actual loss suffered by a party and gives the court a broad discretion to determine an appropriate award of damages on the basis of the facts and evidence before it. However, how is the ultimate determination made and what limits are imposed on the amount of compensation that may be awarded?

Other provisions of the Civil Code that do not specifically relate to contractual damages may give some guidance as to how compensation may be assessed by a court: “In all cases the compensation shall be assessed on the basis of the amount of harm suffered by the victim, together with loss of profit, provided that it is the natural result of the harmful act”.

The key element of this provision is that a party suffering loss will be compensated for that loss, including any loss of profit, which flows naturally from the default. The explanatory memorandum to the Civil Code says damages are payable in respect of the actual loss suffered as well as loss of expectation (that is loss of an opportunity to obtain a benefit under a contract or to avoid a loss).

Each type of damages claimed will need to be substantiated and shown to result from the breach. Consequential (or indirect) losses will generally only be recoverable where it can be shown that the party causing the loss did so with a malicious intent. While it is important to keep in mind the award of damages is always at the court’s discretion, a specific damages regime in a contract can have the benefit of providing greater certainty as to a party’s right to contractual damages and can assist parties negotiate ways of avoiding recourse to court in this challenging environment.

Read also Contract Law in UAE

source
UAE contract law – 5 legal points to remember

Recent legal developments
UAE contract law – 5 legal points to remember

When overseas investors in the UAE negotiate their contracts, the choice of governing law for their contract can be a point of contention. Often, foreign parties want to choose a neutral and well-established law, such as English law or New York law.
However, the respective bargaining powers of the parties may result in the foreign investor agreeing to UAE law. In other scenarios, the UAE law itself may dictate that it should be used to govern the contract, such as is required for Dubai government contracts under a Decree from 1988. Certain other types of contracts are also required to be governed by UAE law in practice, including UAE employment contracts and memoranda of association to establish a UAE company.
This article focuses on a few key legal points to note under UAE contract law as set out in the UAE Civil Code, particularly where they are different to English or other common law jurisdictions.
1.
Beware of agreements to agree – the courts may enforce the missing details
Article 141 of the UAE Civil Code provides that the parties to a contract must agree on the essential elements of the obligation, but that they can leave matters of detail to be determined at a later date. In this circumstance, if a dispute arises, the judge will make a ruling on the missing terms in accordance with the other provisions of the contract and the law. However, it is clear from the Ministry of Justice official commentary that, for a UAE court to do so, it must be clear that the parties intended to reach an agreement even if they fail themselves to finalise all of the details of the contract.
This departs from the usual position under English law, for example, under which agreements to agree in the future are generally not capable of being enforced. Contracting parties may often tactically choose to phrase a point of detail as an agreement to agree in the full knowledge that if they do not agree in the future, it will not become a term of the contract.
It is also worth noting in this context that the implied obligation of performance in good faith may mean that the courts will find bad faith (and therefore a breach of contract) if the parties fail to agree in certain circumstances, such as one party failing to take reasonable efforts to reach an agreement, or entering into parallel negotiations with a third party.
Therefore, under UAE contract law, parties may be well advised to expressly state that there is no intention that the parties will be bound by Article 141, unless and until an agreement is entered into in writing between the parties.
2.
Only fraudulent behaviour constitutes misrepresentation
Common law lawyers are used to the legal concept of misrepresentation forming an alternative cause of action to breach of contract for parties who have been induced to enter into a contract by statements made by one party which have subsequently be proven to be untrue (and which may also be incorporated in the contract in the form of warranties, for example). Misrepresentation is effective because its scope is wide and includes innocent and negligent statements. It may also be fraudulent or reckless. It has a different basis for the calculation of compensation to a claim for breach of contract and also allows rescission of the contract.

continue reading… original source

UAE Dubai contract Law legal points

source
UAE contract law – 5 legal points to remember

Recent legal developments
UAE contract law – 5 legal points to remember

When overseas investors in the UAE negotiate their contracts, the choice of governing law for their contract can be a point of contention. Often, foreign parties want to choose a neutral and well-established law, such as English law or New York law.
However, the respective bargaining powers of the parties may result in the foreign investor agreeing to UAE law. In other scenarios, the UAE law itself may dictate that it should be used to govern the contract, such as is required for Dubai government contracts under a Decree from 1988. Certain other types of contracts are also required to be governed by UAE law in practice, including UAE employment contracts and memoranda of association to establish a UAE company.
This article focuses on a few key legal points to note under UAE contract law as set out in the UAE Civil Code, particularly where they are different to English or other common law jurisdictions.
1.
Beware of agreements to agree – the courts may enforce the missing details
Article 141 of the UAE Civil Code provides that the parties to a contract must agree on the essential elements of the obligation, but that they can leave matters of detail to be determined at a later date. In this circumstance, if a dispute arises, the judge will make a ruling on the missing terms in accordance with the other provisions of the contract and the law. However, it is clear from the Ministry of Justice official commentary that, for a UAE court to do so, it must be clear that the parties intended to reach an agreement even if they fail themselves to finalise all of the details of the contract.
This departs from the usual position under English law, for example, under which agreements to agree in the future are generally not capable of being enforced. Contracting parties may often tactically choose to phrase a point of detail as an agreement to agree in the full knowledge that if they do not agree in the future, it will not become a term of the contract.
It is also worth noting in this context that the implied obligation of performance in good faith may mean that the courts will find bad faith (and therefore a breach of contract) if the parties fail to agree in certain circumstances, such as one party failing to take reasonable efforts to reach an agreement, or entering into parallel negotiations with a third party.
Therefore, under UAE contract law, parties may be well advised to expressly state that there is no intention that the parties will be bound by Article 141, unless and until an agreement is entered into in writing between the parties.
2.
Only fraudulent behaviour constitutes misrepresentation
Common law lawyers are used to the legal concept of misrepresentation forming an alternative cause of action to breach of contract for parties who have been induced to enter into a contract by statements made by one party which have subsequently be proven to be untrue (and which may also be incorporated in the contract in the form of warranties, for example). Misrepresentation is effective because its scope is wide and includes innocent and negligent statements. It may also be fraudulent or reckless. It has a different basis for the calculation of compensation to a claim for breach of contract and also allows rescission of the contract.

continue reading… original source

read also

Damages under UAE law in the context of contracts

 

Nakheel Ex CEO Chris O´Donnell wins at Dubai Court

Dubai Court Ruling

Nakheel former CEO Chris O’Donnell who left Nakheel last June after five years, has won a $3 million claim against the Dubai real estate developer for breach of contract, the Dubai World Tribunal ruled Thursday.

Chris O’Donnell was awarded $ 3 million in bonus compensation in the  judgement.

Judge Anthony Evans made the award at the Dubai World Tribunal held at the DIFC Courts.

Schleuser nach Einreise aus Dubai am Frankfurter Flughafen gefasst

Ein mit Haftbefehl gesuchter mutmaßlicher Schleuser ist der Bundespolizei  am 26 Januar 2012 am Frankfurter Flughafen ins Netz gegangen. Der 40-jährige Mann soll im vergangenen Jahr mindestens 17 Flüchtlinge aus Pakistan und Afghanistan nach Deutschland, Italien und Dänemark geschleust haben, wie die Polizei am Freitag mitteilte. Als er versuchte, aus Dubai nach Deutschland einzureisen, schnappten die Handschellen zu. Für seine Dienste sollen er und weitere Bandenmitglieder jeweils mehrere Tausend Euro kassiert haben.

read also..from the Archive .. Dubai German Vice Consul accused of Human traffickig

Damac Palm Springs Dispute solved – Investors recieved full refund

Dubai Property buyers on the Palm Jebel Ali Damac Palm Springs  project, who have waited eight years for construction to begin, were previously offered a 70 percent refund of their deposits, or 25 percent immediately followed by a further 25 percent annually for the next three years.

Now the Investors in Dubai’s stalled Palm Springs project have reached a deal with Dubai developer Damac for a full, upfront refund on payments made for their uncompleted properties.

Of the 48 investors involved, 21 have received payment, and a further 27 are expected to receive their cheques in the next two weeks, Arabian Business reported.

source Arabian Business

Property Investor won against Emaar before Dubai court

A Spanish Dubai property investor won a court order to seize the head offices of Emaar Properties, after its subsidiary failed to deliver an AED5.3m ($1.4m) villa on time, his lawyer has claimed.

The Dubai Court of Cassation issued an order on Nov 29 to allow representatives for Carlos Jose Periera to seize Emaar’s Dubai offices in an attempt to recoup AED3.4m, reflecting his villa payments to date and a sum of interest, said Fareya Azfar, partner at The Legal Group.

source Arabian Business continue reading…

Dubai property investors who lost life savings continue fight

Ron Oakley lost Dhs1.46 million to German development company, Alter­native Capital Invest (ACI) Dubai, which
promised huge returns on luxury Dubai tower blocks named after tennis star Boris Becker and racing legends Niki Lauda and Michael Schumacher.

Last February Mr. Oakley was awarded by Dubai courts a full refund on his Dhs1.46 million investment in Niki Lauda Twin Towers – the first ACI investor to win his money back.

However, nearly one year on, Oakley has yet to receive a dirham in return and has racked up Dhs 700,000 in legal fees.

source 7Days continue reading…

Dubai Property investors petition Emirates Ruler over unfinished Real Estate Project

Dubai Remraam Community Real Estate Investors have petitioned the emirate’s ruler

Property Investors in Dubai’s Remraam Community have petitioned the emirate’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to intervene in a dispute with the project’s developer, after they were told they risked fines if they failed to accept the handover of properties in the unfinished complex, Arabian Business reported.

The Dubai Properties Group development was scheduled to complete in June 2010, complete with pools, malls, landscaping and retail features. But owners said in a petition to the Ruler’s Court that they were being forced to accept properties without water and electricity connections.

The document, seen by Arabian Business and signed by 37 buyers, asked the court to intervene to insist DPG commit to connecting homes to utilities and developing promised infrastructure.

Buyers have also asked for compensation for losses incurred during the delay of the handover, such as interest on mortgage payments.

continue reading original source Arabian Business

Dubai Property Fraud – Indian Dubai International City Apartment owner shocked

Dubai Gulf News reported today that in a shocking case of property fraud, an Indian resident in Dubai has been locked out of his own apartment that was sold to someone else while he was travelling.

The shocked owner told the Newspaper:

On January 8, Memon, who bought the 914 square foot apartment for a little over Dh250,000 got its title deed transferred to his name. The same day Sameer lodged a complaint with the public prosecution seeking criminal action against Port Real Estate, Memon and Dinara for cheating and fraud. “It looks like they used a forged power of attorney. Never in my wildest dreams had I thought that I would be fighting a case of house grabbing in Dubai. I bought this apartment with my hard-earned money. My wife and I spent days furnishing it. Now everything is gone — not just the house but its entire belongings worth several thousand dirhams. I want justice,” he said.

continue reading Gulf News

Abu Dhabi Dubai bail out 2011

Aldar announced it is selling assets to the government and receiving debt support to the tune of $4.6bn, after receiving a rescue package of $5.2bn in January. That brings the total amount of government aid in Aldar’s 2011 begging bowl to near $10bn. No wonder shareholders are so happy.

That figure is in line with the financial injection that neighbouring Dubai had to pump into the listing ship Nakheel in late 2009 as the business hub, the second largest emirate after oil rich Abu Dhabi, almost teetered over into default.

Of course, it was only the generosity of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, that allowed Dubai to pull back from the cliff’s edge, thanks to a $10bn bailout loan.

The UAE had earlier in 2009 loaned another $10bn to Dubai as the size of its $110bn debt problem came into clearer view.

continue reading .. original source Financial Times Blog

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Dubai sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum fails to attend court hearing in London over ‘secret wife’

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum, the head of Emirates Airlines and a member of Dubai’s ruling family, is accused of undergoing an unofficial marriage to the mother of his illegitimate child. He failed to attend a hearing at the High Court in London intended to clarify his relationship with the former model.

Miss El-Gamal wants the judge to rule that the marriage took place, declare it null and void and therefore put her in a position to claim maintenance

source …continue reading…. TheTelegraph UK

read also … source The Telegraph UK

Justice Bodey has rejected the hurtful assertion by the Sheikh that there was no such marriage .

and read ….

Secret wife’ of Dubai sheikh Ahmed seeks UK asylum

Dubai Developer Nakheel threatens defaulters with arrest

Nakheel denied 1,386 Palm Jumeirah Residents  access to beach clubs

Nakheel on Sunday banned more than 1,300 residents on its flagship Palm Jumeirah project from using the beaches, pools and gyms in the first stage of a controversial plan to charge for the use of facilities.

Owners or tenants living in these properties have now been denied access to any facilities, and were warned they could be arrested if they attempted to enter the pool and gym areas.

source …..continue reading ….Arabian Business and Emirates 247

Dubai debts are alarming and back on the agenda

Moody’s report on Dubai raises further concerns for investors.

For two years after the 2009 crisis, Dubai and its debts are back on the agenda, And they are big. It can be hard to compare debts between countries especially when they have different cultural and financial set-ups. Dubai has a population of some 2 million although only some 400,000 are citizens, the rest immigrants ranging from street sweepers to stockbrokers.

However based on 2 million, Dubai with debt of just over $100bn has levels per head comparable with Greece.

Based on the real citizens (400.000)  Dubai´s  debts are alarming.

Separately, Fitch Ratings said in a report that the United Arab Emirates’ key banks are facing some strong headwinds.

Read also: Dubai´s debt warning bells are ringing again

Read also:

Moody’s: Debt profile of Dubai state-owned corporates has evolved, but refinancing risks remain

UAE Activists freed from jail

UAE Activist Ahmed Mansoor and his Lawyer Dr. Mohammed Al Roken

On Sunday, after being held in prison for almost eight months, the five were convicted of insulting the UAE’s leadership, endangering national security and inciting people to protest.

Then a day later, they received a presidential pardon and were freed.

One of the five, Ahmed Mansour is a prominent blogger. Another, Nasser bin Gaith, is an economics professor who has lectured at Paris’ Sorbonne university in Abu Dhabi.

The two told The Associated Press that they spent days in solitary confinement in Abu Dhabi’s Al Wathba prison. The rest of the time they were held with convicted killers, terrorists, rapists, adulterous, drug dealers and pirates.

“It’s a mixed feeling to be out,” bin Gaith told the AP after his release. “I am with my family, but our arrests mark the beginning of a police state in the UAE.”

source CBS News ….continue reading

read also …...

Dubai 1000 Hotelfonds – Erfolg für Investoren – Haftbefehl Georg Recker Dubai

Nach Entscheidungen des Oberlandesgerichts (OLG) Hamm unter den Aktenzeichen I-8 U 51/11; I-8 U 55/11; I-8 U 71/11 und I-8 U 72/11 haben nunmehr knapp 1.000 Investoren in den „Dubai 1000 Hotel-Fonds“ berechtigte Aussichten, zumindest einen Teil ihrer Vermögensverluste erstattet zu bekommen.

Dubai 1000 Hotelfond - Internationaler Haftbefehl Fondinitiatior Georg Recker Dubai

Der seit Ende 2008 per internationalem Haftbefehl gesuchte Fonds-Initiator Recker entzieht sich weiterhin erfolgreich dem Zugriff der deutschen Strafverfolgung. Das vor Monaten in die Wege geleitete Rechtshilfeersuchen dümpelt vor sich hin, ob Recker nach wie vor in Dubai unter Hausarrest stehe, sei unklar, hieß es gestern von der Dortmunder Staatsanwaltschaft. „Aber wir verlieren nicht die Geduld“, sagte deren Sprecherin Dr. Ina Holznagel. Das Problem ist, dass zwischen dem Emirat und der Bundesrepublik kein Auslieferungsabkommen existiert.

Source WA

IBA Dubai 2011: The Conference that Almost Never Was’

Lawyers attending last week’s International Bar Association (IBA) conference in Dubai have slammed the event after several discussion sessions were altered and one even ditched at the last minute.

The International Bar Association which prides itself as the global voice of the legal profession holds an annual conference every year. Countries, and cities, make concerted bids for hosting rights and the prestige and mileage, not to mention the spending power of thousands of international lawyers and their families, it brings to the winning countries are unquantifiable.

IBA Dubai 2011 conference

Dubai, UAE as a hosting city had therefore been determined as many as five years back and delegates had known it would be the host city.

Preparations began in earnest for the conference, with the IBA receiving what it described as ‘firm support and assistance from the Dubai authorities’.

However, just five weeks to the conference the Association received an unprecedented bombshell that the conference was to be cancelled.

The UAE security branch cited concerns that its content might precipitate instability in the region.

continue reading .. source….

and TheLawyer.com

European couple is crying foul over a substandard unit sold to them by Damac in Dubai

Gulf News Dubai reported that Wahida and her husband, Mustafa Alibhai, both Swedish citizens, said they bought at shop at Lakeview Tower at Jumeirah Lake Towers Area from Damac  for Dh1.2 million, only to realise it fell short of their expections. Literally. The height of the mezzanine floor shop is just 2.1 metres, considered “unfit” for human occupancy .

The couple, who were textile merchants in Stockholm before they moved to Dubai, planned on putting up an apparel or a coffee shop in the 622-square-foot unit. They completed the payment on time in July 2009.

Quote in Gulf News Niall McLoughlin, Senior Vice President, Damac Properties, said,

‘’You will understand that I cannot go into details on individual customers’ cases albeit to say that the unit in question is fit for purpose and compliant with all prerequisites and requirements as per the sales and purchase agreement. However, as a gesture of goodwill, our customer relationship team have been working very hard with this customer to offer an alternative solution. This has included other units within the same project and also a variety of other units in other projects.”

However, when the couple did not like any of the properties offered, they said they were told by Damac to “take it or leave it”

continue reading…….. source Gulf News

Unbelievable Smear Campaign against detained UAE blogger Ahmed Mansoor

DUBAI (Reuters) – The family of Ahmed Mansoor a blogger on trial for calling for political change in the United Arab Emirates has condemned what it calls a smear campaign against him and urged the government to try to rein in people calling for his death.

United Arab Emirates Blogger Trial 2011 Ahmed Mansoor Human Rights Activist

Ahmed Mansoor is one of five activists accused of encouraging protests, insulting the country’s rulers and disrupting public order earlier this year, in a case described by rights groups as a travesty of justice.

In a statement distributed by his lawyer Mohammed al-Roken, Mansoor’s family said a widely-circulated voice message inviting people to kill him in the run-up to the latest court hearing was proof of an organised effort to provoke violence against him.

The voice message consisted of a poem which names Mansoor and concludes: “Anyone who kills him is excused,” the statement said.

“Our son Ahmed has been subjected to all kinds of incitement and betrayal and doubt in his devotion and insults and slurs against him and his father and elderly mother,” the statement added.

“We call on the authorities and public opinion to intervene to prevent ongoing infringements against our son.”

The family said messages spread via the Internet, phone and television channels had also demanded Mansoor’s citizenship be revoked.

“What has happened during this period is strange to the morals and values of Emirati society and a blatant interference in the work of the judiciary, which turns public opinion against Ahmed and his imprisoned friends in an unprecedented way.”

Mansoor, the main defendant in the trial, is accused of running a website where others could express anti-government views.

“Ahmed Mansoor is innocent and he has not yet been convicted of any crime and it has not been proven at all that he wrote or said anything to insult (the rulers),” his family said.

The UAE, the world’s third biggest oil exporter, has not seen the kind of protests that have rocked Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Bahrain and Syria.

A verdict in the trial, which began in June, is expected in late November.

read also and sign the PETITON to Free the 5 UAE Activists

read also ……

Emirates Activists’ Trial Denounced As Violation Of International Law

ACI Fonds Dubai Betrug – Anleger Demo vor der Staatsanwaltschaft Bielefeld

Schon seit einem halben Jahr schmort am Landgericht Bielefeld  die Betrugs-Anklageschrift der Staatsanwaltschaft gegen Robin (41) und dessen Vater Hanns-Uwe Lohmann (65) aus Gütersloh, ohne dass sich etwas tut. Morgen wollen die Opfer auf die Straße gehen.

Die Initiatoren von sechs gescheiterten Dubai-Wolkenkratzer-Fonds der ACI (Alternative Capital Invest) GmbH laufen unbehelligt herum. Dem Junior konnte die Anklageschrift noch nicht einmal zugestellt werden, weil er sich nicht in Deutschland, sondern in Holland aufhalten soll.Die Straf-Justiz verzichtet aber auf die Möglichkeit einer öffentlichen Zustellung im Elektronischen Bundesanzeiger. Und den 6.000 ACI-Anlegern, die um 275 Millionen Euro eingezahlter Gelder bangen, läuft wegen der dreijährigen Verjährungsfrist die Zeit davon.

Demo um 13.30 Uhr vor der Staatsanwaltschaft Bielefeld

Deshalb hat die Interessengemeinschaft IG ACI-Anleger e.V. aus Hillesheim, in der sich 2.000 Anleger zusammengeschlossen haben, für den morgigen Mittwoch (2. November 2011) zu einer Demonstration durch die Bielefelder Innenstadt aufgerufen. Die Anleger treffen sich um kurz nach 13 Uhr vor der Staatsanwaltschaft Bielefeld (Rohrteichstraße 16) und wollen mit Kind und Kegel sowie Freunden und Bekannten die Justiz aus dem vermeintlichen Dornröschenschlaf erwecken. Der Marsch endet vor dem Haupteingang des Landgerichts Bielefeld (Niederwall 71).

“Ich bin ein geschädigter Anleger und will einfach nur mein Geld zurück”, erklärt der Eingetragene Kaufmann Berthold Michel (Finanzberatung und Anlagemanagement) aus Aschaffenburg dem Finanznachrichtendienst GoMoPa.net, warum er sich von Bayern nach NRW auf den Weg macht. “Presse, Funk und Fernsehen sind informiert und werden um 13.30 Uhr in der Rohrteichstraße 16 anwesend sein.” Einen Weg, wie er sein Geld zurückerlangen kann, hat er noch nicht gefunden. “Da haben mir bislang weder Rechtsanwälte noch Journalisten helfen können.” Dennoch gibt der Bayer nicht auf.

Ebenso wie der Geschäftsführer der IG ACI-Anleger e.V., Rainer Regnery von Regnery & Partner Financial Wealth Management aus Hillesheim. Regnery vereitelte die Pläne der Lohmanns, die zur Insolvenz angemeldeten Fondsgesellschaften II bis V wegen nicht vorhandener Gläubiger und wegen Masselosigkeit von Amts wegen löschen zu lassen.

Mit Scheinrechnungen und falschen Gutachten wollten die Lohmanns 80 Prozent der Fondsgelder einfach abschreiben lassen. Doch das Insolvenzgericht (Amtsgericht Bielefeld) will sehen, wo dann wenigstens die 20 Prozent vorhandener Gelder hin sind. Die Lohmanns spielen auf Zeit.

Während der Sohn nicht auffindbar ist (auch nicht an seiner alten Adresse in Dubai, weil dort die Staatsanwaltschaft mit einem Haftbefehl wartet), könne Lohmann-Senior wichtige Dokumente und Unterlagen nicht finden. Die ACI-Anleger fragen auch hier, wie lange sich die Justiz noch hinhalten lassen will.

Das ist deshalb wichtig, weil die noch verbliebenen zwei Fonds VI und VI aufgrund derselben Gutachten kleingerechnet und zum 31. Dezember 2011 aufgelöst werden, wenn die Anleger nichts dagegen unternehmen. Nur wenn die Fonds weiterbestehen, können die Anleger Zwangsvollstreckungen gegen die Emittenten einleiten und sie zwingen, endlich zu erklären, wo die Gelder wirklich gelandet sind.

Bei den Fonds VI und VII habe Vater Lohmann seinem Sohn ein Genussrecht über 84 Millionen Euro als kostenloses Darlehen eingeräumt. Bei den Fonds II bis V wurden Grundstücke in Dubai gar nicht im Namen der Fonds, sondern durch die ACI GmbH gekauft und ins Grundbuch eingetragen, die nicht den Anlegern, sondern allein den Lohmanns gehört. Robin Lohmann besitzt in Deutschland mehrere Firmen, die er sich mit Anlegergeldern über seine ACI Real Estate LLC zusammengekauft hat. So die Kunststofftechnik Vogelsang GmbH aus Gevelsberg bei Düsseldorf oder die Kerzenmanufaktur Eika in Fulda.

ACI-Fonds II – V: Sachbestandsbericht des Insolvenzverwalters

Der vom Gericht bestellte Insolvenzverwalter hat zu den Fonds seine Sachstandsberichte abgegeben, zuletzt am 12. August 2011 zum ACI-Fonds IV, in dem vieles bestätigt wird, was die IG ACI-Anleger e.V. schon seit langem vermutet und befürchtet hatte. Er führt dort unter anderem aus:

Zitat:

1. Die Anlegergelder des Fonds wurden von der Treuhandkommanditistin DMI auf ein privates Konto von ACI-Geschäftsführer Robin Lohmann in Dubai gezahlt, über deren Verwendung bis heute keine vollständigen konkreten Nachweise (Kontoauszüge et cetera) vorgelegt wurden.

2. Anwälte haben erhebliche Schwierigkeiten, dem Hauptverantwortlichen ACI-Geschäftsführer Robin Lohmann Klagen zuzustellen. Er hat offiziell nur einen Wohnsitz in Dubai, wo er aber erkennbar nur eine nicht zustellungsfähige Scheinadresse hat. Er wurde nachweislich seit 1 1/2 Jahren nicht mehr in Dubai gesehen und wird dort mit Haftbefehl gesucht.

3. Die ACI-Geschäftsführer Hanns Uwe Lohmann und Robin Lohmann kommen ihrer Auskunftspflicht gegenüber der Insolvenzverwaltung nicht beziehungsweise nur in unzureichendem Umfang nach.

4. Die Jahresabschlüsse der Wirtschaftsprüfer Hecker & Kollegen, Gütersloh, basieren auf der rechtlich nicht zulässigen und tatsächlich nicht umgesetzten Liquidation der Gesellschaft zum 31. Dezember 2008, der wiederum der als Scheinvertrag einzuordnende Kaufvertrag mit der Firma Yama International LLC vom 29. Dezember 2008 zugrunde lag.

Anmerkung der IG ACI-Anleger e.V.: “Kein Wunder, dass die teilweise erheblichen Verlustzuweisungen, die die Wirtschaftsprüfer den Anlegern zu ihren Fondsbeteiligungen übersandt hatten, bis heute von den Finanzbehörden nicht anerkannt wurden.”

Selbst bei den Gläubigerversammlungen versuchte Hanns-Uwe Lohmann zu tricksen

Quelle    PDF

Bahrain royal Sheikh Isa bin Ali al-Khalifa accused in $6m bribe case

A senior member of Bahrain’s royal family has been named as a co-conspirator in bribery charges against a leading London-based businessman over contracts between Alcoa, the US aluminium group, and Bahrain Aluminium, or Alba.

Sheikh Isa bin Ali al-Khalifa, an adviser to the Gulf kingdom’s influential prime minister, is accused by the UK’s Serious Fraud Office of receiving bribes of almost $6m in 2003-04 from Victor Dahdaleh, a British-Canadian businessman.

source Financial Times …..contiune reading Financial Times

Denton Wilde Sapte sued for $3.7m in Dubai

Denton Wilde Sapte sued in Dubai Arabian Business reported

A legal firm in Dubai is being sued for $3.65m after being accused by a former client of professional negligence, in a lawsuit thought to be the first of its kind to be brought before the Dubai International Financial Centre courts, Arabian Business reported.

Denton Wilde Sapte & Co (DWS), a London law firm with offices in DIFC, is being sued by Dubai-based Injazat Technology Fund, a unit of private equity firm Injazat Capital Limited, over its counsel relating to a 2006 investment in Broadlink Research.

The central allegation from ITF is that the law firm, which has since been renamed SNR Denton following a merger, led it into three-year arbitration proceedings because it failed to identify the clause ahead of its expiry at the end of 2007.

SNR Denton & Co declined to comment when contacted by Arabian Business.

“We are aware of the proceedings. However, I am sure you will appreciate that we cannot comment on ongoing litigation,” Michael Kerr, a partner at the firm, said in an emailed response.

continue reading…. source Arabian Business

Criminal Complaint filed in Germany against Dubai Developer Al Fajer Properties

Criminal Complaint filed in Germany against Sheikh Maktoum Hasher Maktoum Juma Al Maktoum CEO of Dubai Developer Al Fajer Properties

Germany – Dubai 2011

A German elderly couple , today 80 + 50 years old who have been Dubai Tourists since a decade, bought in 2005 an apartment at Nakheel´s Dubai Residential Falcon Tower located on Plot H3 Jumeirah Lake Towers. The completion of this Tower should be  March 2008 but the apartment was never delivered and they end up in a Horror scenario when the development was transferred from Nakheel to Al Fajer Properties in 2006.

Criiminal Complaint filed in Germany against Sheikh Maktoum Hasher Maktoum CEO of Al Fajer Properties

After have been mislead, deprived of their property rights by illegal actions and extortion  ,financial and mental extremely damaged by receiving several threats from Al Fajer Properties since 2008 upon 2009,  a criminal complaint was filed in Germany already in August  2009 against the CEO and President of Al Fajer Properties, Maktoum Hasher Maktoum Juma Al Maktoum. The witness hearings and investigations in Germany are still going on.

History

In 2006 the Residential development Falcon Tower Jumeirah Lake Towers was transferred from Nakheel to DMCC ( 100% Government) and Al Fajer Properties was named by DMCC as new Developer of the Falcon Tower.
DMCC ensured in writing that the terms of Al Fajer´s purchase was that Al Fajer Properties will developing the Falcon Tower with the same design, same unit specifications and price at which the couple purchased original at Nakheel. It was agreed between Al Fajer Properties to take 1:1 over the once valid contractual obligation – just the completion date will be now in December 2008.
DMCC transferred the 45 % already paid installments paid once by the couple to Nakheel, in 2007 to the account of Al Fajer Properties.

A Financial Statement, hold by the couple, from DMCC and Al Fajer Properties shows this evidently.

The process was accompanied by a lawyer of the couple, the correspondence show evidence that Al Fajer agreed to the named conditions and stept 1:1 in the former contractual obligations.

Left in the illusion everything went fine, Al Fajer Properties start in 2008 to threat the couple to sign and agree to a new contract.This contract was given to the couple in November 2007 in form of a draft in presence of their lawyer and staff members of Al Fajer Properties. It was a blank document , containing only terms and conditions but not containing any Building constitution, no Apartment specification, no price, and no other relevant declarations. It was a draft with no specification. Within this draft Al Fajer themself was not named as developer, just as seller.  The Tower on Plot H3 was quoted in the Header now as Mixed Use Building ( Residential/Commercial)  and renamed to Jumeirah Business Centre 8.

Several correspondence upon January 2008 sent to Al Fajer Properties to complete the relevant documentation failed. Al Fajer Properties didn`t provide the relevant Documentation.

March 2008 Al Fajer Properties appointed  a new CEO and President, Maktoum Hasher Maktoum Juma Al Maktoum. Starting on March 10, 2008 the couple received threats from Al Fajer´s lawyer Michael Kerr,  Denton Wilde Sapte,  to deprive them of the property and simply return the amount,unless they did not sign and agree to the incomplete blank draft contract.

After receiving this threats from Al Fajer Properties, the lawyer of the couple ask Al Fajer to refrain from such illegal actions. The actions of Al Fajer have been mentioned to RERA Dubai.

Al Fajer Properties didn`t retrain and repeated in letters upon 31 March 2008 the same threats to the couple.

After this date it remain silent and Al Fajer didn`t react.

A letter wrote by the couple to Al Fajer Properties in June 2008, brought a reaction of Michael Kerr Denton Wilde Sapte, a lawyer namely instructed to do so by the CEO  Maktoum Hasher Maktoum, and showed willingness to pay a full compensation based on the damage cause by Al Fajer Properties to the couple. The discussion was about the sum and damage caused by Al Fajer, based upon the event to enable the couple to buy an adequate apartment. The market price of such an apartment was at that time over 2 Million AED.

After several delays of Al Fajer´s lawyer to step in a negotiation, a concrete willingness from Maktoum Hasher Maktoum Juma Al Maktoum to provide a fair compensation was shown in September 2008.

The correspondence was hold in written form via Email between the lawyers.

A clear calculation about the caused damage and the therefrom resulted compensation sum was presented by the couples lawyer. But Maktoum Hasher Maktoum rejected this  and set out a fixed sum, which would have caused the couple still a damage of 600.000 AED.

Finally the so called good will of Maktoum Hasher Maktoum Juma Al Maktoum end up in further threats by Al Fajer Properties upon a statement October 2008 from his lawyer Michael Kerr Denton Wilde Sapte , by not taking the now offered amount,  to return only the amount of the once paid 45%. ( 345.000 AED).  Within this letter have also been threatened that they contacted in April 2008 a Journalist providing him what happened to them, they would get in trouble if they made the story public in the future.

No more correspondence sent to Al Fajer Properties or their  lawyer were answered after January 2009.

Later it was revealed by the couple , over a document provided to a foreign court, that Al Fajer Properties CEO Maktoum Hasher Maktoum Juma Al Maktoum sold on March 31, 2008 the Tower Plot H3 Jumeirah Lake Towers as a 100% Commercial Tower to Dynasty Zarooni .
The Price per sqft within this MOU, agreed between this parties, was 2050 AED. This however was nearly the triple of the price Al Fajer had to deliver the 1098 sqft apartment of the couple,  purchase it for total 775 000 AED and on which was Al Fajer in the contractual obligation to deliver it.

This document in original also revealed that Al Fajer Properties didn`t  intend to develop a Residential Building on Plot H3, nor a Residential Mixed use Building like quoted in their new draft contract on March 2008, the time frame in which the deal with Dynasty Zarooni was already arranged and new Brochures have been already in the printing for a sales promotion of the now  100 % Commercial Tower on Plot H3.

This document uncovered why the couple should have been mislead and been left in the illusion of a now Mixed used Residential Tower, the reason of unwillingness of  Al Fajer Properties to provide the missing declaration and documentation of the building constitution within the draft contract, to which they extorted the couple several times to sign in March 2008 .

Upon today October 2011, Al Fajer Properties is still holding the since 2005 45% paid installments ( 345.000 AED) from the couple and is not showing any positive will to repay this amount nor remembering the once shown will of a compensation.

The Tower however on Plot H3 Jumeirah Lake Towers , which was converted by Al Fajer in a Commercial Building in March 2008 ,renamed to Jumeirah Business Centre 8 , sold in March 2008 to Dynasty Zarooni, is not completed until today.

From 2010 until 2011 Al Fajer Properties was several times contacted directly via email and an adress of a Lawyer who presented Maktoum Hasher. Within this correspondence it has been asked several times to pay the outstanding debts to the couple. Upon today Al Fajer Properties resists to do so.
In a last correspondence hold with an other lawyer of Al Fajer Properties in 2010 it was quoted, that his client, Maktoum Hasher Maktoum cannot remember that the couple had ever claims against him and that he never offered to repay the investments for the purchased accommodation. His further provocation was : ” Can you please send a copy of whatever contract you believe exists between Al Fajer Properties and your clients” ” If you supply evidence to support their assertion losses attributable to Al Fajer, my client ( Maktoum Hasher) will then review it.

The lawyer was after this correspondence informed that a criminal complaint ( by providing him a copy of the complaint) was already filed against his client and that  it is extremely remarkable, due to the evident correspondence of March 2008 until October 2008 from other lawyers of Al Fajer,  that his client Maktoum Hasher Maktoum start now in 2010 to simulate  not to be in the acknowledge that there was still a claim against Al Fajer Properties and him and that he cannot remember his acts,when he threat them in March and October by saying  just returning a refund of the paid installments to the couple.

Sheikh Maktoum Hasher Juma Al Maktoum who comitted this fraud to the German couple didn`t pay back the money ( over 60 000 Euro) he hold in the accounts of Al Fajer Properties since 2007  nor did he pay the compensation upon today in 2011.

____________________________________________________________

Other Investors who bought offices from Al Fajer Properties development Jumeirah Business Centre ( Eboy Ivory Tower) after Al Fajer Properties deal with Dynasty Zarooni in March 2008 had also been in trouble with his His Highness Sheikh Maktoum Hasher Maktoum Juma Al Maktoum……..

continue reading Reuters “Angry International Investors Demand Investigation in $630 Million Dubai Real Estate Scandal “

Angry International Investors Demand Investigation in $630 Million Dubai Real Estate Scandal

and

Iranian conned by Dubai ruling family  

Wall Street Journal pdf

Dubai property scandal claim emerges amid media blackout

UAE Activists boycotted to appear in court

Dubai – The case of Bin Gaith and four others returned to court Sunday in Abu Dhabi, where they face accusations of threatening the UAE’s stability by joining Internet campaigns calling for a greater public voice in the country’s affairs.

The 42-year-old Emirati, a decorated former air force pilot who holds degrees in law and international trade, comes from a prominent Dubai family with a long history of serving its rulers. He’s lectured at one of the country’s showcase institutions, the Abu Dhabi branch of Paris’ Sorbonne university, and worked as a legal adviser for the Emirates’ armed forces.

Yet the United Arab Emirates now considers him a potential enemy of the state.

The five activists – jailed since April – boycotted the session as part of demands for bail and to protest their treatement as alleged state security risks.

.For the first time, however, authorities opened the previously closed-door hearings to the public.

The police officer in charge of bringing the five defendants to the hearing told the State Security Court that they “refused to come,” without any further explanation, an AFP reporter said. One of their lawyers, Mohamed al-Roken, told the court that the defendants accused of insulting top United Arab Emirates officials refused to attend the hearing after their demands were not met.

The five men, four of whom are Emirati and one stateless, are demanding to “obtain all documents related to the trial, allow the defence to question all witnesses,” as well as an “end to their ill-treatment,” Roken told the court.
“They are denied their basic rights. Their rights were violated,” said Roken, as the wife Wedad al-Muhairi of one of the defendants, Nasser bin Gaith, broke down in tears. “They are treated worse than criminals,” he said.  (source Gulf Times)

In court Sunday, prosecutors played a video montage of patriotic images – including the UAE’s founder Sheik Zayed bin Sultan Al Nayhan – in an apparent attempt to mock the activists’ calls for reforms.

“They are all Emirati!” shouted defense lawyer Mohammed Roken. “They are all sons of Zayed!”

On April 17, bin Gaith’s regular column ran in an Abu Dhabi financial paper, Roayam Iqtisadiyya. Students at the Sorbonne were in class, waiting for bin Gaith to give one of the last classes before exams. He never showed up.

A day earlier, state security agents lured him from his Dubai villa to Abu Dhabi, the capital, and arrested him on the spot, his family said.

source StarNews….original written by Barbara Surk ……continue reading

and Gulf Times

Austrian consul in UAE accused of cooperating with an impostor

An Austrian diplomat is accused of cooperating with an impostor, it has emerged.

The Austrian Kurier newspaper reports that the Austrian consul in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Gerhard Dedic, advised Austrians asking for juridical support to get in touch with Mohamadziad Naim Al Kawadri. The daily paper claims that the Syrian is not registered as a lawyer in the UAE’s official registry. It also disclosed that Al Kawadri used different passports which gave his age as 61 to 73.

Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal, a spokesman for the Austrian foreign ministry, announced internal investigations against Dedic had started. He explained the ministry was closely cooperating with prosecutors in Vienna to check the accusations brought forward against the Austrian who was assigned as Austrian consul in the UAE in 2007.

Al Kawadri is suspected of human trafficking, fraud and corruption, according to the Kurier. Ingvild Moritsch, a Dubai-based lawyer from Austria, is quoted as saying by the paper: “There are many victims (of his actions). Germans, Austrians and Spaniards contacted me (for help).”

Eugen Adelsmayr – an Austrian doctor currently in court in Dubai for manslaughter – told the paper the Syrian also got in touch with him. “I gave him full power of attorney but withdrew it when I realised that he is a conman,” the medic – who faces the death penalty – said.

Österreichs Konsul in Abu Dhabi soll hilfesuchenden Österreichern einen mutmaßlichen Hochstapler als Rechtsbeistand vermittelt haben. Die Staatsanwaltschaft ermittelt

Der österreichische Konsul in Abu Dhabi, Gerhard Dedic, wird von der Staatsanwaltschaft Wien in einem Fall des Amtsmissbrauchs und der Veruntreuung verdächtigt. Das bestätigte eine Sprecherin der Staatsanwaltschaft, Michaela Schnell, heute. Der Diplomat habe möglicherweise mit dem Syrer Mohammed Sijad Naim al-Kawadri und einer weiteren Person gemeinsame Sache gemacht.

Kooperation mit syrischem Hochstapler?

Kawadri ist laut einem Bericht des „Kurier“ (Mittwoch-Ausgabe) eine „Schlüsselfigur“ beim illegalen Handel mit Visa und bei Schleppereidelikten in den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten. Die Staatsanwaltschaft wisse seit Juli von den Vorwürfen und ermittle seit „rund einem Monat“ gegen Dedic und Kawadri, sagte Schnell.

original source ORF Austria …continue reading……

Weiter Informationen zu diesem Thema auch unter:   www.saubere-haende.org und www.alloexpat.com

ACI Dubai Investmentfonds Dubios – Klage wegen Betruges gegen Robin Lohmann nicht zustellbar

In Deutschland liegt gegen Robin Lohmann und dessen Vater Hanns-Uwe seit April 2011 eine Anklage der Bielefelder Staatsanwaltschaft wegen Betruges (Verschweigen von Nachteilen in allen Fondsprospekten aus den Jahren 2006 und 2007) vor.

Diese Anklage konnte aber bis heute nicht persönlich zugestellt werden, da Robin Lohmann in Deutschland keinen festen Wohnsitz habe und eine Zustellung in Dubai aussichtslos erscheine, da Lohmann seit Februar 2010 nicht mehr an seiner bekannten Adresse Jumeirah Islands, Cluster 29 – Villa No. 14, Dubai / UAE wohne.

Lohmann soll sich mal in den Niederlanden, mal im deutschen Gevelsberg aufhalten, wo er von Anlegergeldern eine Firma gekauft haben soll.

Lediglich in einer Zivilklage eines Anlegers habe das Landgericht Bielefeld am 6. Mai 2011 beschlossen, ihm die Zivil-Klageschrift öffentlich zuzustellen. Am 14. Juni 2011 wurde die Zivil-Klagezustellung im Elektronischen Bundesanzeiger veröffentlicht und gilt seit 14. Juli 2011 als zugestellt. Im Strafprozess ist noch keine öffentliche Zustellung beschlossen worden.

Klage gegen Robin Lohmann nicht zustellbar - Der Geschäftsführer mehrere ACI Dubai Real Estate Unternehmen hat offensichtlich keinen festen Wohnsitz in Deutschland. Die Staatsanwaltschaft ermittelt wegen Betrug

Sobald der ACI-Junior-Boss Robin Lohmann (36) aus Bielefeld einen Fuß auf emiratischen Boden setzt, droht ihm eine Verhaftung. Die Staatsanwaltschaft in Dubai suche den Mitinitiator von sieben geschlossenen Wolkenkratzer-Fonds der Alternative Capital Investment aus Gütersloh in NRW mit einem Haftbefehl gleich in mehreren arabischen Staaten, berichtete ein von Anlegern beauftragter Detektiv dem Finanznachrichtendienst GoMoPa.net.

Robin Lohmann habe von arabischen Investoren Geld entgegengenommen, ohne die versprochenen Türme zu bauen.

Robin Lohmann habe aber den arabischen Gläubigern allen Ernstes nahegelegt, sie sollten sich mit ihren Geldrückforderungen an die rund 5.000 deutschen Anleger halten. Die hätten schließlich die Grundstücke für die Fantasietürme gekauft.

Ein Blick in die Eigentumsurkunden des Land Department der Regierung von Dubai (Title Deed) fördert aber zutage, dass nicht die Fondsgesellschaften, sondern eine Alternative Capital Invest GmbH (Dubai Branch) die Grundstücke gekauft hat. Diese Gesellschaft gehört laut Handelsregister des Amtsgerichts Gütersloh (HRB 6828) der Lohmann-Familie und nicht den Anlegern.

Während der deutsche Treuhänder die Gelder der Anleger auf ein Privatkonto von Robin Lohmann nach Dubai überwiesen haben soll, kaufte Lohmann mit dem Geld der Anleger zum Beispiel am 5. Dezember 2007 das Grundstück eines geplanten Q-Sami-Towers für 65,785 Millionen Euro und am 18. Juni 2009 das Grundstück einer Victory Bay für 64,586 Millionen Euro, immer auf den Namen der ACI GmbH und nicht für die Fonds-Kommanditgesellschaften (KGs), denen die Anleger als Gesellschafter beigetreten sind.

Im Fall der insolventen ACI-Fonds II bis V wurden die Fondsprojekte mit einem Schlag am 29. Dezember 2008 von Hanns-Uwe Lohmann (65) als Fondsgeschäftsführer zum einen an einen Fantasieinvestor (eine Yama International LLC aus Dubai, die nie eine Kaufzusage abgeben hatte) und zugleich an die ACI GmbH verkauft, für die sein Sohn Robin unterschrieb.

Aus der damaligen Kauf- und Forderungsvereinbarung geht hervor: Sollte der Kaufpreis von 41,423 Millionen Euro nicht am 1. März 2009 auf dem Konto der Kommanditgesellschaft bei der Sparkasse in Gütersloh vorliegen, könnten die Kommanditisten alles ohne Zuzahlung zurückkaufen. Insbesondere ging es um die Rechte an den Zahlungseingängen für die je nach Baufortschritt noch zu fertigen Eigentumswohnungen eines Wohnturmes Arabian Star. Diese Kaufoption lief aber schon am 22. April 2009 aus.

Weder wurden von Robin Lohmann 41 Millionen Euro an die Fonds überwiesen, noch wurden die Rechte an den künftigen Wohnungen zurückübertragen. Die Rechte liegen bei Robin Lohmann, der das seinen arabischen Gläubigern jedoch anders darzustellen versucht habe.

Die deutschen Anleger bangen um insgesamt 275 Millionen Euro. Doch deren Ansprüche verjähren. Es sei denn, sie würden klagen. Nur die wenigsten müssten persönlich vor Gericht erscheinen. Das Gericht würde nur die ersten Fälle verhandeln. Die restlichen Kläger bräuchten dann nur noch auf die Urteile verweisen. Da sich das Strafmaß nach der Schadenssumme bemisst, würde sich mit jeder Strafanzeige auch die Schadenssumme und damit das Strafmaß erhöhen.

Zehn ACI-Fonds-Vermittler haben sich mit 2.000 Anlegern zu einer Interessengemeinschaft der ACI-Anleger e.V. in Hillesheim zusammengeschlossen. Ziel ist es, das auf den Konten der Lohmanns gelandete und auf den Namen der Lohmann-Firma ACI GmbH investierte Geld zurückzuholen. Das will der Lohmann-Clan offenbar mit einer List verhindern.

Deutsche sollen sich an ihre Vermittler halten, nicht an die Lohmanns

So wie sich die arabischen Investoren an die deutschen Anleger halten sollen (zum Beispiel den deutschen Insolvenzverwalter für die Fonds II bis V), so sollen sich die deutschen Anleger an ihre Vermittler halten. Und es verwundert nicht, dass ausgerechnet die ACI-Anleger im August 2011 Anwaltspost erhielten, deren Vermittler sich in der IG ACI-Anleger e.V. zusammengetan haben. Insgesamt gibt es mindestens 60 Vermittler von ACI-Fonds.

In den Briefen bittet die Berliner Rechtsanwaltskanzlei Röhlke, zu deren Mandantschaft die Lohmann-Familie gehören soll, die Anleger, der Kanzlei den Auftrag zu erteilen, Schadensersatzansprüche gegen namentlich zehn Kapitalanlagevertriebe geltend zu machen. Auf Nachfrage eines Anlegers, woher die Kanzlei die Adresse des Anlegers habe, habe Rechtsanwalt Christian-H. Röhlke zugegeben, die Adressen vom Beteiligungstreuhänder bekommen zu haben. Beteiligungstreuhänder ist die Firma D.M.I Verwaltungs- und Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH in der Bismarckstraße 57 in Gütersloh. Sie war innerhalb des Ermittlungsverfahrens gegen den Lohmann-Clan bei einer Razzia am 22. Juni 2010 ebenfalls durchsucht worden.

Nicht zufällig gehört zu den Vertrieben, die im Antwaltsschreiben aus Berlin namentlich aufgeführt werden, auch der Geschäftsführer der Interessengemeinschaft der ACI-Anleger, Rainer Regnery aus Hillesheim.

Regnery vereitelte die Pläne der Lohmanns, die zur Insolvenz angemeldeten Fondsgesellschaften II bis V wegen nicht vorhandener Gläubiger und wegen Masselosigkeit von Amts wegen löschen zu lassen.

Mit welchen Methoden die Gütersloher Riege, der noch immer einige Vertriebe treu ergeben sind, den Widersacher Regnery mundtot oder zumindest unglaubwürdig machen will, mag folgendes Beispiel zeigen.

Regnery bekam aus heiterem Himmel eine SMS vom Innenminister von Qatar. Der wolle mit ihm ins Geschäft kommen. Er habe die Handynummer von einem Freund. Der Freund sei der stellvertretende Verteidigungsminister von Nigeria. Regnery war darüber sehr verwundert, denn der Vizeverteidigungsminister von Nigeria war vor zwei Jahren verstorben. Er meldete den Vorfall der Botschaft der Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate. Kurz darauf habe sich Nadine Lohmann bei Regnery erkundigt, ob gegen ihn schon wegen Geldwäscheverdachts in Nigeria ermittelt werde.

Quelle Pressemitteilung GoMoPa® – der Finanznachrichtendienst (www.gomopa.net) – Pressemeldung vom 12.09.2011

Dubai is the ninth worst real estate market in the world

Dubai is the ninth worst real estate market in the world, according to a survey of 50 cities.

Supply keeps coming, as Dubai remains the ninth worst housing market in the world.

The first quarter report of UK-based consultant Knight Frank’s periodic survey of 50 key residential markets across the world, showed Dubai was the worst residential market in the world, but the new survey shows a major improvement, especially on a six-month basis. Continue Reading …. Source Zawya

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Read earlier report here: Dubai Leads List Of World’s Worst Housing Market

Arabian Business Dubai among world’s worst performing property markets

 

Thai Government paid 30 million Euro for the seized Thai Prince Boeing in Munich

The Thai prince Boeing has been released today in Munich after the Thai Government paid the 30 Million Euro.

The plane was seized at Munich Airport as part of a long-running dispute in which Werner Schneider, the insolvency administrator for the Walter Bau construction group, is demanding more than €30 million from the Thai government.

The dispute stretches back more than 20 years, to when the German construction firm Dywidag helped build a 26-kilometre road between Bangkok and the airport for which payment was allegedly never received. Dywidag merged with Walter Bau in 2001.

Walter Bau AG have been trying for many years to enforce a legitimate demand of more than €30 million and this drastic measure is virtually the last resort,” Schneider said, explaining that courts have found the move to be legal.

Dubai Property Lawsuit – Union Properties sued by Index Tower Apartment Owner

Dr David Dorsey claims the developer ( Union Properties Dubai)  misrepresented the quality of the project and breached a promise to provide a swimming pool and health club.

Dubai Property Lawsuit - Union Properties sued by Index Tower Apartment owner sued before the Dubai International Financial Court

The suit filed in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Court also charges the developer with misleading investors on construction progress in The Index, the 80-storey tower designed by Foster + Partners.

Dr Dorsey, a medical doctor who works as a portfolio manager, is seeking the return of Dh3.4 million (US$925,674) he paid for the apartment and more than Dh3m in damages.

Union Properties representatives could not be reached for comment.

The case could have ramifications for hundreds of investors with similar complaints. The DIFC Court, which is governed by its own set of civil and commercial laws, provides an avenue unavailable for buyers in projects outside the financial centre to pursue cases.

“The whole point of the DIFC is it offers the protection of international legal standards,” Dr Dorsey said.

He bought a two-bedroom apartment in The Index tower in 2007.

But the company never followed through on a series of promises, including a commitment to provide a detailed sales and purchase agreement (SPA), his suit claims.

The SPA was necessary to “give us the ability to guard our rights”, Dr Dorsey said. “All we had was a one-page reservation form for three years.” Union Properties did not offer a detailed SPA until July last year and included many clauses “unilaterally advantageous” to the developer, the suit claims. The language addressed such issues as liability, force majeure and penalties not in the original agreement, the suit claims.Dr Dorsey refused to sign it.

continue reading ….. source The National