A British judge has thrown out a claim by a former chief executive of United Al Saqer Group (UAS) for AED 111 million ($30m) compensation after alleging he was forced out of the Abu Dhabi conglomerate and threatened with deportation.
Ahmad Abdel Rahman Nimer, 59, was appointed to the top job in 2011 but claims he was sidelined after falling out with executives at the $8 billion group, which includes car dealerships, catering services, finance operations and hotels. The former accountant said he was forced to quit five years later with only a small amount of what was owed to him.
Mr Nimer said that he only signed a termination agreement in 2016 with UAS because he feared he could have been detained or kicked out of the UAE. The company and senior executives denied the claims against them.
The Canadian-Jordanian executive took his case against the company, the chairman and his three sons to London’s High Court but the defendants asked the judge to rule on jurisdiction.
A judge ruled on Monday that Mr Nimer’s evidence had been “unreliable” and he had not been able to show he would not get a fair hearing in the UAE.
“I can easily credit that the claimant would regard them as formidable opponents whom he would much prefer to sue in England than in the UAE,” said the judge, Richard Davison. “But the evidence does not persuade me that there is in fact a real risk that the claimant would not receive a fair trial in the UAE.”
The court was told that Mr Nimer was recruited by UAS chairman Sheikh Mohammed bin Butti Al Hamed and worked very closely with him until the relationship deteriorated. He was transferred to a construction subsidiary and claimed he was barred from UAS headquarters.
Mr Nimer, a former partner at the international accountancy firm Deloitte, cited the alleged experiences of two other former UAS chief executives who he said had also been unfairly targeted by the board.
He claimed that his predecessor – who was found to have misappropriated assets on a “large scale” after an internal audit – had been targeted in a plot to bring him back to the UAE via the United States after he moved to Canada.
The judge said his claim of a rendition plot was “implausible”.
“A kidnap and rendition from Canada and the US would be liable to raise a major international incident with extremely serious consequences for the participants,” he said in his judgment.
“It is intrinsically unlikely that these defendants truly contemplated it or that they could have thought that officers and agents of UAS, whose knowledge and cooperation would be necessary, would go along with it.”
Mr Nimer’s legal team was not immediately available for comment. It was not clear if he would appeal or pursue his compensation claim in the UAE.
From Conquest to Deportation
Jeronim Perovic, Hurst
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
Tips for avoiding trouble online
- Do not post incorrect information and beware of fake news
- Do not publish or repost racist or hate speech, yours or anyone else’s
- Do not incite violence and be careful how to phrase what you want to say
- Do not defame anyone. Have a difference of opinion with someone? Don’t attack them on social media
- Do not forget your children and monitor their online activities
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Company%20Profile
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The five pillars of Islam
What went into the film
25 visual effects (VFX) studios
2,150 VFX shots in a film with 2,500 shots
1,000 VFX artists
3,000 technicians
10 Concept artists, 25 3D designers
New sound technology, named 4D SRL
Iraq negotiating over Iran sanctions impact
- US sanctions on Iran’s energy industry and exports took effect on Monday, November 5.
- Washington issued formal waivers to eight buyers of Iranian oil, allowing them to continue limited imports. Iraq did not receive a waiver.
- Iraq’s government is cooperating with the US to contain Iranian influence in the country, and increased Iraqi oil production is helping to make up for Iranian crude that sanctions are blocking from markets, US officials say.
- Iraq, the second-biggest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, pumped last month at a record 4.78 million barrels a day, former Oil Minister Jabbar Al-Luaibi said on Oct. 20. Iraq exported 3.83 million barrels a day last month, according to tanker tracking and data from port agents.
- Iraq has been working to restore production at its northern Kirkuk oil field. Kirkuk could add 200,000 barrels a day of oil to Iraq’s total output, Hook said.
- The country stopped trucking Kirkuk oil to Iran about three weeks ago, in line with U.S. sanctions, according to four people with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified because they aren’t allowed to speak to media.
- Oil exports from Iran, OPEC’s third-largest supplier, have slumped since President Donald Trump announced in May that he’d reimpose sanctions. Iran shipped about 1.76 million barrels a day in October out of 3.42 million in total production, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
- Benchmark Brent crude fell 47 cents to $72.70 a barrel in London trading at 7:26 a.m. local time. U.S. West Texas Intermediate was 25 cents lower at $62.85 a barrel in New York. WTI held near the lowest level in seven months as concerns of a tightening market eased after the U.S. granted its waivers to buyers of Iranian crude.
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
Dhadak
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana
Stars: 3
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
The Gandhi Murder
- 71 - Years since the death of MK Gandhi, also christened India's Father of the Nation
- 34 - Nationalities featured in the film The Gandhi Murder
- 7 - million dollars, the film's budget
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
