Copyright The National Abu Dhabi
“If we want to recollect the wasted public money, everybody guilty has to be held accountable and those suspected need to be questioned regardless of their rank,” Gen Tamim told a press briefing.
With a relative handful of cases - eleven - the Government of Dubai appears to have found DH3.58 billion ($975 million) in "lost" money. So far 63 individuals have been identified, excluding those Lt. General Khalfan Tamim wants stripped of immunity.
This latter group is key for two reasons.
First, it doesn't include SR from Canada or JK from England. But rather locals. Very senior locals if they hold immunity. If the Government of Dubai is serious, it is precisely this group that it needs to prosecute. But in doing so it faces the problem of the societal disruptions this may cause. The recent law to encourage the restitution of stolen funds may well be an attempt to avoid or minimize such problems.
Second, much larger sums are likely involved given these individuals' positions. With US$60 to $80 billion of easy money sloshing around the Emirate there were ample occasions for "commissions", bribes, overcharging, tag-along deals. I suspect it's going to be quite easy to find individuals who by themselves are AED 3.58 billion men.
All this shouldn't be a surprise to anyone with a knowledge of regional business practices or anyone who was paying attention to the early signs - Philip Thorpe's comments in 2004 and the first round of corruption that became evident in 2008.
Sadly, the Government of Dubai has not given strong anti-corruption signals in the past. Thorpe's abrupt and harsh dismissal was a very clear message that the "old ways" of doing business were just fine even at the "Western" DIFC. The pardon of the former Head of Dubai Customs another. Though to be perfectly fair: if we're going to be casting stones at corruption, we can focus on more local targets. It's harder to throw a stone all the way to the UAE with the same velocity and impact as one closer to home.
Sadly, the Government of Dubai has not given strong anti-corruption signals in the past. Thorpe's abrupt and harsh dismissal was a very clear message that the "old ways" of doing business were just fine even at the "Western" DIFC. The pardon of the former Head of Dubai Customs another. Though to be perfectly fair: if we're going to be casting stones at corruption, we can focus on more local targets. It's harder to throw a stone all the way to the UAE with the same velocity and impact as one closer to home.
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1 comment:
They have to be talking about people like Manal Shaheen here. It's rumored that her house was recently raided and 300 million dirhams was found in her bedroom.
Her accomplice Alya Mahdy will also surely be heading to jail if the government is serious about cracking down on these criminals.
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