Atif, wife Claire and 2 year old daughter Arianna London-born Atif Khalique used to work as a taxi driver in the UK back in 2016 when he came across an advert online for a job in Dubai. Always on the lookout for new opportunities, Atif contacted the recruiter and before he knew it, he was on his way to the UAE for a job interview. The 36 year old Atif was planning to marry in the coming months, and he was feeling hopeful about a future in Dubai with his new family and a new c

When British citizen Robert Urwin was stopped in the Ukraine on an Interpol Red Notice, he thought it had to be a mistake. Subsequently learning that the Interpol listing had to do with a bounced cheque in Dubai twelve years earlier, Urwin was sure that there was a misunderstanding. He had left the UAE in good standing, with no debts and no payments pending on his bank account. The cheque in question turned out to be for an uncharacteristically large sum of money, and it had

Robert Urwin, seen here with his grandson 67 year old Tyneside resident Robert Urwin has been held in the Ukraine after HSBC in the UAE wrongfully placed him on Interpol over a cheque he never wrote. It is simply incomprehensible that 67 year old British national Robert Urwin has been subjected to such horrendous treatment after leading international bank HSBC filed a criminal complaint in the UAE over a cheque that Urwin did not even have access to write. Mr Urwin’s wife and

Amnesty joins fight for Australian’s freedom Elderly Australian citizen Joseph Sarlak should have been home a long time ago. Instead, after being released from a virtual life sentence in Qatar after being scapegoated by local business partner, he remains behind bars in an overcrowded, filthy immigration jail in Doha. Sarlak suffers from a number of serious health conditions, and has already endured 3 years without proper medical care in prison. Detained in Dubai has actively

Joseph Sarlak at risk of death in custody as AU govt. fails to intervene on his behalf Spotlight on Qatar human rights: “69 yr old Australian Jo Sarlak phoned me crying from Qatar prison as authorities won’t issue visa to get home” - Radha Stirling, Detained in Dubai My morning coffee was disturbed by a gut wrenching phone call from Joseph Sarlak this week, whose situation is highlighting endemic human rights abuses in the next country to host FIFA. While countries like the U

While Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani is visiting the UK, enjoying the hospitality of London; two expats are languishing in a Doha jail and may never see England again. Jonathan Nash and Australian cellmate Joseph Sarlak have both been sentenced to what amounts to life imprisonment for nothing more than bounced cheques, a serious crime of which they were both set up. Both cases are strikingly similar, each was essentially framed by their Qatari business partners and hel

Australian Family man Joe Sarlak’s nightmare began on the 31st of July 2016, nearly two years ago, when he was tricked into attending a meeting to discuss his plans to leave Qatar. He has been in Doha prison ever since and, now experiencing serious health problems, fears he will die in Doha jail. In 2004, Joe was operating a business called Clearspan Technology in Queensland & Northern NSW, Australia, when he was asked to provide a quote for a civil project for Qatar Airwa

If someone was given a 37 years prison sentence in Europe or the UK you’d expect them to be a violent criminal. This is not the case in Qatar as horrified British businessman Jonathan Nash has discovered.. He has been given essentially life imprisonment for nothing more than bounced cheques. Jonathan Nash, is CEO of Top House in Qatar, he has 27 years of experience in the electronic security systems industry. Top House offers technical, commercial and management services to t

Seen from the outside, with its relative political and economic stability, generally favourable rankings as an investment destination, and a reputation for luxury, the UAE is seems attractive place to do business. But, from the inside, the picture is quite a bit more complicated. You should realise that the system in the UAE, to a great extent, is rigged. That doesn't mean you can't succeed business-wise, but you have to be wary and understand the potential pitfalls, becaus

"It is no secret that UAE banks have stepped up their efforts to enforce debts internationally and of course, there is nothing wrong with that. The world is becoming smaller and people don’t expect that a simple relocation will alleviate them of their contractual obligations. In fact, most people have a genuine desire to resolve their obligations as soon as possible and keep the option to return to the UAE open. Some customers have been forced to leave the UAE since the co

"I had a house under mortgage in the Marina in Dubai and couldn't make the repayments anymore after the crisis. I left and found a job in Europe and a year later, resolved payment with the bank. A couple of years later, I decided to make sure that there were no cases against me so did a police check. I was horrified that the bank had neglected to close their bounced cheque cases. I hate to think how long it would have taken to sort out had I gone back without checking. I cont