Dubai Bank Accused of Extending British Businessman's 30-Year Prison Sentence
A 71-year-old British businessman, Ryan Cornelius, is serving a 30-year prison sentence in Dubai, with his release date set for 2038. According to his brother-in-law Chris Pagett, the Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) played a significant role in extending Cornelius's sentence, which was initially given in 2011.
Cornelius was convicted of defrauding the bank in 2011 and was ordered to repay $432 million. However, the bank has seized all of his assets, including a property development worth more than $3 billion. The bank claims that it acted according to Islamic principles, but Pagett disputes this, arguing that the bank did not follow standard procedures for foreclosure.
Cornelius's family is hoping that a letter signed by 146 British parliamentarians will prompt Dubai to show clemency. The MPs are urging the Emir of Dubai to grant a pardon and end Cornelius's prolonged detention. A similar appeal last year brought no response from the UAE, but the new letter may spark change.
The case highlights concerns about Sharia banking law in the UAE, with Pagett arguing that the bank did not follow established procedures for foreclosure. He says that the bank should have sold the property within a stipulated time frame and netted off the amount owed to Cornelius.
The Dubai Islamic Bank claims to be the trailblazer in championing Islamic values in banking, but its actions have raised eyebrows. The bank's pre-tax profit reached £2.01 billion in the first 10 months of this year, with assets reaching £82 billion.
Cornelius was originally detained and placed in solitary confinement for six weeks. He was put on trial for fraud in 2010 and initially sentenced to 10 years in prison. However, his sentence was extended by a further 20 years in 2018 at the request of the bank, citing Islamic law that extends prison sentences for convicts who fail to return proceeds of fraud.
The UN working group on arbitrary detention has decided that Cornelius is being arbitrarily detained, noting that the extension of his initial sentence had been made by a judge at a closed-doors hearing.
A 71-year-old British businessman, Ryan Cornelius, is serving a 30-year prison sentence in Dubai, with his release date set for 2038. According to his brother-in-law Chris Pagett, the Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) played a significant role in extending Cornelius's sentence, which was initially given in 2011.
Cornelius was convicted of defrauding the bank in 2011 and was ordered to repay $432 million. However, the bank has seized all of his assets, including a property development worth more than $3 billion. The bank claims that it acted according to Islamic principles, but Pagett disputes this, arguing that the bank did not follow standard procedures for foreclosure.
Cornelius's family is hoping that a letter signed by 146 British parliamentarians will prompt Dubai to show clemency. The MPs are urging the Emir of Dubai to grant a pardon and end Cornelius's prolonged detention. A similar appeal last year brought no response from the UAE, but the new letter may spark change.
The case highlights concerns about Sharia banking law in the UAE, with Pagett arguing that the bank did not follow established procedures for foreclosure. He says that the bank should have sold the property within a stipulated time frame and netted off the amount owed to Cornelius.
The Dubai Islamic Bank claims to be the trailblazer in championing Islamic values in banking, but its actions have raised eyebrows. The bank's pre-tax profit reached £2.01 billion in the first 10 months of this year, with assets reaching £82 billion.
Cornelius was originally detained and placed in solitary confinement for six weeks. He was put on trial for fraud in 2010 and initially sentenced to 10 years in prison. However, his sentence was extended by a further 20 years in 2018 at the request of the bank, citing Islamic law that extends prison sentences for convicts who fail to return proceeds of fraud.
The UN working group on arbitrary detention has decided that Cornelius is being arbitrarily detained, noting that the extension of his initial sentence had been made by a judge at a closed-doors hearing.
they're basically torturing this guy ryan cornelius 30 year prison sentence is already super harsh, but now its like they wanna keep him locked up forever 
and it all started because of the dubai islamic bank's alleged shady foreclosure practices 
the fact that theyre making money off his supposed "crime" while he languishes in jail is just wild 
, i mean dubai bank is making this british guy serve 30 yrs in prison and it's just not right. they're basically saying they can do whatever they want with people who don't even have a fair chance of defending themselves. and the fact that they seized all his assets is just low-key theft 
, it's about time someone stood up for this guy. the UN says he's being arbitrarily detained which is like, the ultimate shade on dubai's banking law 
. we need more people to speak out about this and make some noise 
.
i don't get why they need to extend it that much... and now the bank is saying it's Islamic law? 
the fact that 146 MPs are trying to intervene is pretty wild tho... maybe this will actually lead to some change 
it's pretty sus how sharia banking works in dubai tho idk if u guys r following this but apparently its all about followin rules & stuff so lets hope the emir clemmies him ASAP 
30 years is a pretty harsh sentence even by Western standards, let alone in a country where Sharia law is supposed to be guiding their actions...it just raises so many red flags about corruption and abuse of power 
i dont think the dubai islamic bank should be acting all mysterious & secretive about their foreclosure process, sounds fishy to me 
why did they need to extend his sentence by another 20 yrs?! 
fingers crossed it works! 
. I mean, 30 years in prison? That's just crazy! Ryan Cornelius was already serving a 10-year sentence for defrauding the bank, and then they go and extend it by another 20 years on a technicality? It's like, come on! The fact that his family is having to beg 146 British MPs to intervene is just embarrassing 
. And what really grinds my gears is that Dubai Bank is claiming they followed Islamic law, but we all know that's just a bunch of corporate doublespeak 
. I mean, if you're going to claim to be championing Islamic values in banking, then at least have the decency to do it right! The fact that UN human rights workers are even having to step in and say "wait a minute" is just a shame 
.