DUBAI // The UK has recovered more than Dh1.8 million from the sale of a Dubai Marina apartment owned by a British drug dealer, in a ground-breaking move.
In what has been hailed as the first successful UK confiscation order in the UAE, the flat belonging to Redwan El Ghaidouni, 38, was sold after he was convicted at Kingston Crown Court in March 2011 of importing and possessing drugs.
The money was recovered by the crown prosecution’s proceeds of crime unit in London, working closely with the recently deployed CPS asset recovery adviser in Dubai.
The cash, which now goes into the British public purse, was recovered after an asset-sharing agreement between the UK and the UAE.
Emirati lawyer Yousuf Al Bahar said the agreement was a sign of great maturity between the two countries, and would be a major deterrent to criminals operating in the UAE and Britain.
“This will be the rope tightening around the neck of many individuals and even groups of criminals who make profit from illegal activities,” Mr Al Bahar said.
“It’s going to help reduce and even choke the activities of organised crime and money laundering, and therefore protect more innocent people in the UK and UAE.”
He called for more countries to sign agreements, on the condition that it does not breach their justice systems.
Mr Al Bahar also said this case should be highlighted so that people knew they could not get away with the proceeds of crime.
“The general awareness of the public is also a weapon to scare off criminals who, when reading about this case and this agreement, will probably start to quit criminal activity, because now there is nowhere to hide,” he said.
“None of them will be able to get away with the money made from illegal business, therefore they might as well quit the business once and for all.
“This is great news and is a sign of maturity and growth in the legal systems of both countries,” Mr Al Bahar said.
Emirati judge Ahmed Saif said the goal behind the agreement was to protect the community.
“Without such an agreement crimes of money laundering would increase, but now the criminal will think 1,000 times before committing the illegal activity from which he only cares for financial gain,” Judge Saif said.
“He will think that if the money is being confiscated, then there is no use in illegal business in the first place.”
The judge agreed that other countries should adopt such agreements.
“Those who get lured by making much fast money through an illegal business like the drug trade because the money gets saved and secured in some other country, will simply stop when their money is being confiscated wherever it’s being sent,” Judge Saif said.
Gary Balch, deputy chief crown prosecutor in the UK, said: “It is unacceptable that drug barons should be allowed to profit from their criminal activity, and our successful action in this case demonstrates our determination to deprive them of their ill-gotten gains.
“Organised criminals often move their assets across borders to prevent them from being confiscated, but the crown prosecution service can and will follow the money wherever it leads to reclaim the proceeds of crime.
“Criminals often consider that hiding money overseas is a safe bet and that their assets will be untouchable. They are mistaken and should take note of today’s result.”
Mr Balch said the CPS aimed to have five asset recovery advisers working on criminals’ foreign assets by the end of the year, to close the net on British criminals.
As it stands, CPS has an adviser in the UAE and Spain.
salamir@thenational.ae
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
UAE tour of the Netherlands
UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Fixtures: Monday, first 50-over match; Wednesday, second 50-over match; Thursday, third 50-over match
RESULT
Fifth ODI, at Headingley
England 351/9
Pakistan 297
England win by 54 runs (win series 4-0)
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
1. Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
2. Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
3. Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
4. Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
5. Trying but failing to reduce phone use multiple times.
6. Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
7. Experiencing physical problems such as eye strain, neck pain, or thumb and wrist pain.
8. Encountering friction with family and friends over the amount of time spent on the screen.
What are the guidelines?
- Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
-
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
-
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
-
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
-
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
THE%20SPECS
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Match info
Manchester City 3 (Jesus 22', 50', Sterling 69')
Everton 1 (Calvert-Lewin 65')
if you go
The flights
Direct flights from the UAE to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, are available with Air Arabia, (www.airarabia.com) Fly Dubai (www.flydubai.com) or Etihad (www.etihad.com) from Dh1,200 return including taxes. The trek described here started from Jomson, but there are many other start and end point variations depending on how you tailor your trek. To get to Jomson from Kathmandu you must first fly to the lake-side resort town of Pokhara with either Buddha Air (www.buddhaair.com) or Yeti Airlines (www.yetiairlines.com). Both charge around US$240 (Dh880) return. From Pokhara there are early morning flights to Jomson with Yeti Airlines or Simrik Airlines (www.simrikairlines.com) for around US$220 (Dh800) return.
The trek
Restricted area permits (US$500 per person) are required for trekking in the Upper Mustang area. The challenging Meso Kanto pass between Tilcho Lake and Jomson should not be attempted by those without a lot of mountain experience and a good support team. An excellent trekking company with good knowledge of Upper Mustang, the Annaurpuna Circuit and Tilcho Lake area and who can help organise a version of the trek described here is the Nepal-UK run Snow Cat Travel (www.snowcattravel.com). Prices vary widely depending on accommodation types and the level of assistance required.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Anti-semitic attacks
The annual report by the Community Security Trust, which advises the Jewish community on security , warned on Thursday that anti-Semitic incidents in Britain had reached a record high.
It found there had been 2,255 anti-Semitic incidents reported in 2021, a rise of 34 per cent from the previous year.
The report detailed the convictions of a number of people for anti-Semitic crimes, including one man who was jailed for setting up a neo-Nazi group which had encouraged “the eradication of Jewish people” and another who had posted anti-Semitic homemade videos on social media.
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Equinox
Price, base / as tested: Dh76,900 / Dh110,900
Engine: 2.0L, turbocharged in-line four-cylinder
Gearbox: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 252hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: Torque: 352Nm @ 2,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.5L / 100km
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes. Portland is a 260 km drive from Seattle and Emirates offers codeshare flights to Portland with its partner Alaska Airlines.
The car
Hertz (www.hertz.ae) offers compact car rental from about $300 per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.
Parks and accommodation
For information on Crater Lake National Park, visit www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm . Because of the altitude, large parts of the park are closed in winter due to snow. While the park’s summer season is May 22-October 31, typically, the full loop of the Rim Drive is only possible from late July until the end of October. Entry costs $25 per car for a day. For accommodation, see www.travelcraterlake.com. For information on Umpqua Hot Springs, see www.fs.usda.gov and https://soakoregon.com/umpqua-hot-springs/. For Bend, see https://www.visitbend.com/.
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ovasave%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20November%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Majd%20Abu%20Zant%20and%20Torkia%20Mahloul%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Healthtech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Three%20employees%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Pre-seed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24400%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
In numbers
- Number of children under five will fall from 681 million in 2017 to 401m in 2100
- Over-80s will rise from 141m in 2017 to 866m in 2100
- Nigeria will become the world’s second most populous country with 791m by 2100, behind India
- China will fall dramatically from a peak of 2.4 billion in 2024 to 732 million by 2100
- an average of 2.1 children per woman is required to sustain population growth
The%20specs
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