DUBAI Safi Qurashi, a London-born businessman serving a seven-year jail term for bouncing cheques in Dubai, ended his hunger strike after his cases were referred back to the apex court, XPRESS has learnt.
“I can see the light at the end of the tunnel,” said Qurashi’s wife Huma, adding her meeting with Essam Eisa Al Humaidan, Dubai’s Attorney-General paid off.
“On June 14, I presented to the attorney general an audit done by Dubai court experts showing Safi is innocent and the cheques he signed were supposed to have been returned instead of being banked,” said the mother of three. “One by one, all three cases against Safi were referred back to the Court of Cassation. That’s when I convinced Safi to start taking food again.”
Qurashi was arrested in January 2010. He started refusing food on in April 2012 and began taking soft food on June 16. Huma said he has lost 20kg.
Meanwhile, Huma had sent a bail request to the prosecutors’ office for her husband’s temporary freedom before his cases go to the apex court for review.
A new court date is set on July 23 to review the three bounced-cheque cases against Qurashi.
Huma said the claims filed against her husband amounting to Dh189 million are fraudulent as the cheques that bounced were mere security cheques for deals that had already pushed through.
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 off Dubai.
