The former manager of Lebanese singer and actress Haifa Wehbe has been arrested on suspicion of fraud.
Mohamed Waziri, a former business and romantic partner of the celebrity, is in custody in Cairo for up to four days, pending investigations of whether he embezzled amounts reportedly ranging from $1 million (Dh3.6m) to $4m from Wehbe's bank account.
Commenting on the news, the Agoul Ahwak singer posted an Instagram story on Thursday with the caption 'Alhamdulillah' (Praise be to God) over a blank screen.
Waziri has yet to make an official comment on his detainment.
The legal measure marks the latest chapter of a highly publicised, month-long conflict that has gripped the Arab entertainment world.
In a twisting story that could match any of the television dramas Wehbe has starred in over her three-decade career, the saga includes love, betrayal, allegedly stolen cash, court dates and an apparent sham marriage.
So what happened?
While it is unclear for how long Waziri handled Wehbe's business affairs, reports that their professional relationship evolved into a romance date back as far as 2018.
In that year, Waziri landed a small role in La'net Karma (The Curse of Karma), a Ramadan drama starring Wehbe. In 2019, he produced Wehbe's yet-to-be-released film Ashbah Europa (Ghosts of Europe).
According to Wehbe's Egyptian lawyer, Yasser Kantoush, their business relationship soured after Wehbe discovered suspect transactions of up to $4m from her bank account by Waziri, whom she granted power of attorney to handle her financial affairs.
"[Waziri] transferred funds from her account to his account, according to documents, official papers and records," Kantoush said in an interview with MBC Trending in May. "Soon more lawsuits will be filed against him."
Kantoush added that discussions with Waziri to return the money proved unsuccessful.
A fake marriage?
The simmering situation exploded into the public sphere in late May when Waziri launched a legal case in the Egyptian family court stating that he and Wehbe were legally married.
At the same time, a purported marriage certificate was shared on social media (it is not clear who posted the document), forcing the star to publicly deny the relationship and threatening Waziri with legal action of her own.
"The claimed proof of marriage by the defendant M.W is not true," she posted on May 25. "At the end of this case, I will take legal measures against this defamation and will await the outcome of this investigation and the judicial ruling."
Wehbe kept fans up to date with the case by reporting on the first day of the court session. According to her June 16 post, it didn't go according to plan for Waziri, with the marriage contract in question unavailable to the court.
"His lawyer did not show any official document and even witnesses had said, 'the marriage contract was stolen'. The judge replied that the theft was not the prerogative of the family court and before the judge could make a ruling the lawyer asked for the session to be postponed," she wrote.
She followed up with another post that same day stating that upon the resumption of the session, Waziri's lawyer presented a photocopy of the alleged document and asked for another postponement in order to locate the real marriage contract.
While Wehbe hasn't launched her defamation suit against Waziri yet, she did, however, fulfill her promise of legal action. Waziri's arrest comes after the star reportedly travelled to Cairo to assist investigators with the embezzlement case.
A fake Covid-19 diagnosis
The latest move is part of what has already been a difficult year for Wehbe.
As well as denying her alleged marriage to Waziri, the singer was also forced to quash rumours she had been diagnosed with Covid-19.
On March 20, a furious Wehbe went on social media to slam a report by Asia News stating she was recovering from the virus in hospital.
"Can you name the hospital?" she said. "I want to pay a visit and tell them that a story was published quoting social media users. And the newspaper is confused if it is a rumour. Since it was not possible for the agency to confirm the authenticity of the news, I ask you not to publish it and so the news doesn't become fake news."
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
Pots for the Asian Qualifiers
Pot 1: Iran, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, China
Pot 2: Iraq, Uzbekistan, Syria, Oman, Lebanon, Kyrgyz Republic, Vietnam, Jordan
Pot 3: Palestine, India, Bahrain, Thailand, Tajikistan, North Korea, Chinese Taipei, Philippines
Pot 4: Turkmenistan, Myanmar, Hong Kong, Yemen, Afghanistan, Maldives, Kuwait, Malaysia
Pot 5: Indonesia, Singapore, Nepal, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Guam, Macau/Sri Lanka
UAE SQUAD
Omar Abdulrahman (Al Hilal), Ali Khaseif, Ali Mabkhout, Salem Rashed, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Zayed Al Ameri, Mohammed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Khalid Essa, Ahmed Barman, Ryan Yaslam, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Habib Fardan, Tariq Ahmed, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmin (Al Wasl), Adel Al Hosani, Ali Hassan Saleh, Majed Suroor (Sharjah), Ahmed Khalil, Walid Abbas, Majed Hassan, Ismail Al Hammadi (Shabab Al Ahli), Hassan Al Muharrami, Fahad Al Dhahani (Bani Yas), Mohammed Al Shaker (Ajman)
Teams
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
RESULTS
5pm: Watha Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (Dirt) 2,000m
Winner: Dalil De Carrere, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Mohamed Daggash (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 70,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Miracle Maker, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Pharitz Al Denari, Bernardo Pinheiro, Mahmood Hussain
6.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Oss, Jesus Rosales, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: ES Nahawand, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: AF Almajhaz, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi
8pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: AF Lewaa, Bernardo Pinheiro, Qaiss Aboud.
Spec%20sheet
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Company%20profile
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Schedule:
Sept 15: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka (Dubai)
Sept 16: Pakistan v Qualifier (Dubai)
Sept 17: Sri Lanka v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 18: India v Qualifier (Dubai)
Sept 19: India v Pakistan (Dubai)
Sept 20: Bangladesh v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi) Super Four
Sept 21: Group A Winner v Group B Runner-up (Dubai)
Sept 21: Group B Winner v Group A Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 23: Group A Winner v Group A Runner-up (Dubai)
Sept 23: Group B Winner v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 25: Group A Winner v Group B Winner (Dubai)
Sept 26: Group A Runner-up v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 28: Final (Dubai)
Name: Brendalle Belaza
From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines
Arrived in the UAE: 2007
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus
Favourite photography style: Street photography
Favourite book: Harry Potter
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last 16, first leg
Ajax v Real Madrid, midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports
The%C2%A0specs%20
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TRAINING FOR TOKYO
A typical week's training for Sebastian, who is competing at the ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon on March 8-9:
- Four swim sessions (14km)
- Three bike sessions (200km)
- Four run sessions (45km)
- Two strength and conditioning session (two hours)
- One session therapy session at DISC Dubai
- Two-three hours of stretching and self-maintenance of the body
ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon
For more information go to www.abudhabi.triathlon.org.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam
Results
Ashraf Ghani 50.64 per cent
Abdullah Abdullah 39.52 per cent
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 3.85 per cent
Rahmatullah Nabil 1.8 per cent
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 3
Danilo (16'), Bernardo Silva (34'), Fernandinho (72')
Brighton & Hove Albion 1
Ulloa (20')
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
WORLD CUP FINAL
England v South Africa
Yokohama International Stadium, Tokyo
Saturday, kick-off 1pm (UAE)
SPEC%20SHEET
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle%20front-axle%20electric%20motor%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E218hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E330Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20automatic%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMax%20touring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E402km%20(claimed)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh215%2C000%20(estimate)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeptember%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
