DUBAI Safi Qurashi, a Briton jailed in Dubai for bounced cheques, marked his first iftar (ending of the fast) with his family on Wednesday after spending 30 months in a Dubai jail.
“Yes, he is home,” Safi Qurashi’s wife Huma told XPRESS via an SMS. “We are all so delighted. Our [three] kids have made all sorts of banners to welcome him home. Tnx.”
The family had been eagerly awaiting his release following a hearing on Monday in which two out of Qurashi’s three cases were dismissed.
The London-born property tycoon shot to prominence when he bought the Dh200 million island of Great Britain in Dubai’s The World Project in 2009.
In January 2010 Qurashi was sentenced to seven years in jail when three cheques worth Dh189 million bounced.
The decision was subsequently reaffirmed by the Dubai Court of Cassation, prompting his daughters to launch an online campaign called ‘Justice for my Dad’.
Qurashi went on a hunger strike last April demanding a review of his case. He agreed to end the strike in June after he was given a guarantee that his cases would be reviewed.
Two out of the three convictions were overturned on Monday, said Huma. A review of the third case is due by end-July but Huma said the time served by her husband in jail is more than enough to cover the final case, even if that case is upheld.
“The last case involves a Dh7 million security cheque that was misused and bounced, and against which we have the strongest evidence. I’m confident he will be acquitted in it too,” said Huma.
Qurashi moved to Dubai with his family in 2004 and founded Premiere Real Estate LLC. Huma said Qurashi still owns the Dh200 million island of Great Britain in The World project.
Following his release, Qurashi was reportedly detained again in a fraud case lodged by developer Nakheel. But he was subsequently released again on bail.
In a press statement, Qurashi said: “I am now free, but my freedom has come at a huge personal cost. My incarceration for three years for an alleged crime that I did not commit has placed an untold burden on my wife, my children and my family.”
His wife Huma was happy: “It will be a great Ramadan for us. And great Eid, too.”
