Dubai: A Belgian family which moved to Dubai with dreams of making it big has been left broke and homeless after a Sharjah-based Arab man swindled their life’s savings in an elaborate rental and local sponsorship scam.
Najib Hilli, 37, his wife and eight-year-daughter have until March 12 to find a new roof over their heads as their landlord has served them an eviction notice.
But Hilli who paid Dh135,000 upfront to the Arab for the annual rent of the two-bedroom Business Bay apartment says he can’t afford to shift elsewhere as the conman had also tricked him into giving another Dh135,000 for processing local sponsorship papers for a business start-up. “It was all I had,” said Hilli from Brussels.
With nowhere to go and no money, the Belgian has set up a Facebook page to highlight his plight. ‘We Love Dubai. As an entrepreneur we came here to build our company and provide jobs to UAE citizens [Emiratis] and expats… But a group of organised people destroyed my vision, this dream and took all my savings... Almost Dh400,000.. today we have nothing left to survive…Me, my wife and daughter have no place to sleep.. This is an emergency call UAE. We need your help now,” reads the Facebook page called Emergency UAE.
Responding to their desperate appeal, a few people have come forward to help the family. Among them is French neighbour Abdelah Aboulharjan, who has offered them temporary shelter at his house.
Inconsolable
Hilli and his wife were inconsolable when XPRESS met them at their 16th floor apartment at Residence Business Central (RBC) Building in Business Bay. “I might have managed if it were just me, but I can’t bear to see my wife and daughter like this. I have no money to buy groceries. All this while we have been living on handouts from neighbours and friends, but at least we had a place to live. I don’t know what we will do when even that’s gone,” Hilli said, his voice choking off.
The family’s pitiful condition is in stark contrast to their extravagant lifestyle when they first arrived in Dubai in December 2013 to set up a social marketing business.
‘For weeks we stayed in five-star hotels. I planned to set up a business in Dubai Free Zone when an acquaintance introduced me to this sweet-talking well-heeled Arab man from Sharjah who agreed to be my local sponsor,” Hilli recalled.
“We had several meetings. In fact it was he who suggested I move to a rented apartment. He showed me this place and I liked it. But I was not willing to pay an entire year’s rent upfront as I wanted to set up my business first. But he convinced me it was the right thing so I gave him Dh135,000 including security deposit and commission fee and moved here in January last year. Since I was still on visit and the tenancy contract could not be drawn in my name, he volunteered to have it drawn in his name. I thought he was being helpful. Unknown to me, he pocketed the money and gave the landlord four cheques of Dh140,000. Later, three of these cheques bounced.”
“The local business sponsorship for which I paid another Dh135,000 never happened. Every time, I would remind him, he would make some excuse. My expenses kept mounting. I was not earning as I still didn’t have a residence visa. On top of that we had to do the Oman visa run every few weeks. This added to our expenditures. All my savings were stuck. My daughter was sitting out of school. We were in a limbo and it became worse when he stopped taking my calls.”
Left with no option, Hilli approached Dubai Police in August 2014 with their only clue – a copy of the tenancy contract bearing the name and passport number of the Arab man.
The police directed them to the Land Department where another shock awaited the family. It had no record of the tenancy contract. “We showed it to the real estate firm and they told us it was fake,” said Hilli, who subsequently contacted the Dubai Courts.
“I am shattered, but I have not lost hope. I could have gone back but I won’t as I have faith in the UAE legal system. Whatever it takes I will fight for justice.”
If you wish to help the family write to editor@xpress4me.com
YOUSPEAK: What precautions should one take before starting a business in the UAE ?
