Dubai: Crackdown by the Justice System
The Gulf Emirate no longer wants to be seen as lax when it comes to legal certainty. An Indian entrepreneur has now felt the consequences, having been prosecuted for money laundering by a court in Dubai.
Written by Gérard Al-Fil, Dubai
Real estate businessman Balvinder Singh Sahni was officially sentenced by a Dubai court on May 2 to five years in prison followed by deportation. Additionally, the judge ordered the freezing of assets belonging to his company, Raj Sahni Group (RSG), worth 150 million Emirati dirhams ($41 million), according to the daily newspaper The National in Abu Dhabi. He also has to pay a fine of half a million dirhams.
The case has received ample media attention in Sahni’s home country of India.
Apparently Shady Real Estate Deals
The Dubai judges found it proven that the 53-year-old and his company, RSG, operated a property portfolio through «a network of shell companies and fake invoices». Sahni had high-rises built in prime Dubai locations such as Business Bay and Sufouh Gardens. Local media reports describe Sahni as a well-known figure in Dubai’s «VIP scene», who liked to show his wealth not only in clubs but also on social media platforms like Instagram.
Tougher Measures in Cyberspace Too
The Gulf state is increasingly tightening the reins again when it comes to law and order. This also applies to the virtual world. According to Mohammed Alkuwaiti, head of the UAE government’s cybersecurity department, hardware and software in the United Arab Emirates are attacked 200,000 times a day by cyber criminals.
«That’s why the UAE is increasingly cooperating internationally to crack down on cross-border cybercrime,» Alkuwaiti said on May 6 at the annual GISEC cybersecurity conference in Dubai.
