Abraaj founder Arif Naqvi sold his British country estate for £12.25 million ($17m) after being prevented from living there during his extradition battle with the United States.
Mr Naqvi was placed under effective house arrest at his London apartment two years ago after his detention at Heathrow Airport on suspicion of fraud and money laundering over the collapse of the Dubai-based private equity company.
Property ownership documents show his semi-rural retreat of Wootton Place, Oxfordshire, about 100 kilometres west of London, was sold to a prominent businessman in September last year for a £2.75m profit on the price Mr Naqvi paid in October 2006.
The home – complete with extensive grounds, cricket pitch and bordering a church in the village of Wootton – was owned, on paper, by British Virgin Islands-registered company Blondell Assets Ltd.
But the Naqvi family were well-known residents in the attractive hilltop village. The globe-trotting Mr Naqvi, who also had homes in Pakistan, St Kitts and France, was rarely seen at the house but threw open its gates several years ago for villagers and members of Pakistan’s cricket team who played a match on the private field.
Since May 2019, the tycoon has remained at his London apartment in a gated mansion block in the Knightsbridge district after posting a record bail of £15m to secure his release from prison.
A judge said the strict conditions surrounding his release “effectively amount to house arrest” but they were partially eased during the months-long extradition process allowing him to visit a London mosque. He denies the charges against him.
Locals in Wootton said they had not seen any member of the family since his arrest in April 2019 and during subsequent coronavirus lockdowns.
Days before his arrest, Mr Naqvi declined to comment on the future of Wootton Place amid local rumours of a sale.
The Rev Stephen Jones, the vicar of Wootton, said: “They literally disappeared overnight and were not seen or heard of since. It must have been more than a year ago.
“When the Naqvis moved in, I was able to have some tea with Mrs Naqvi. I only met him once but I knew her very well.
“When she came, she said she wanted to help the community and used to run a regular curry supper in the village hall.”
The hall’s roof was replaced in 2012 thanks to an “immensely generous donation” from Mr Naqvi and his wife Fayeeza, a village newsletter said.
The vicar said ownership of Wootton Place had a "chequered history" with the previous owner, developer Scot Young, dying in 2014 after falling from the window of a fourth-floor flat in London.
Police believed he jumped but his former wife alleged that he was pushed on to railings below after falling foul of a Russian crime syndicate when a murky business deal went wrong.
The vicar met the current owner’s wife who told him they planned to keep a low profile.
Mr Naqvi, who was arrested at the London airport on his way to Dubai via Islamabad, faces 16 counts of fraud and related money laundering between 2014 and 2018.
He is accused of being the “leader of a criminal enterprise that corrupted Abraaj” and faces up to 30 years in prison if found guilty.
A district judge ordered his extradition in January, a decision upheld by Home Secretary Priti Patel, a ministry representative said.
Mr Naqvi appealed and the case is set for months of wrangling before the courts.
Abraaj was the largest buyout fund in the Middle East until it collapsed in the middle of 2018 after investors raised fears of mismanagement. By the time it stopped trading, Abraaj owed creditors more than $1 billion.
They say that about $250m went for the benefit of Mr Naqvi's family and other sums were used to bribe a politician in Pakistan to obtain approval for the sale of Abraaj’s stake in an electrical energy utility company.
Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
Indika
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2011%20Bit%20Studios%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Odd%20Meter%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsole%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PlayStation%205%2C%20PC%20and%20Xbox%20series%20X%2FS%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
PROFILE OF INVYGO
Started: 2018
Founders: Eslam Hussein and Pulkit Ganjoo
Based: Dubai
Sector: Transport
Size: 9 employees
Investment: $1,275,000
Investors: Class 5 Global, Equitrust, Gulf Islamic Investments, Kairos K50 and William Zeqiri
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
War
Director: Siddharth Anand
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Ashutosh Rana, Vaani Kapoor
Rating: Two out of five stars
Favourite book: ‘The Art of Learning’ by Josh Waitzkin
Favourite film: Marvel movies
Favourite parkour spot in Dubai: Residence towers in Jumeirah Beach Residence
Tom Fletcher on 'soft power'
The biog
Occupation: Key marker and auto electrician
Hometown: Ghazala, Syria
Date of arrival in Abu Dhabi: May 15, 1978
Family: 11 siblings, a wife, three sons and one daughter
Favourite place in UAE: Abu Dhabi
Favourite hobby: I like to do a mix of things, like listening to poetry for example.
Favourite Syrian artist: Sabah Fakhri, a tenor from Aleppo
Favourite food: fresh fish
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3EName%3A%20DarDoc%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Abu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Samer%20Masri%2C%20Keswin%20Suresh%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20HealthTech%3Cbr%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%24800%2C000%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Flat6Labs%2C%20angel%20investors%20%2B%20Incubated%20by%20Hub71%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi's%20Department%20of%20Health%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%2010%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Scores
Oman 109-3 in 18.4 overs (Aqib Ilyas 45 not out, Aamir Kaleem 27) beat UAE 108-9 in 20 overs (Usman 27, Mustafa 24, Fayyaz 3-16, Bilal 3-23)
Reading List
Practitioners of mindful eating recommend the following books to get you started:
Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life by Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr Lilian Cheung
How to Eat by Thich Nhat Hanh
The Mindful Diet by Dr Ruth Wolever
Mindful Eating by Dr Jan Bays
How to Raise a Mindful Eaterby Maryann Jacobsen
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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