Abu Sabah money laundering case: Dubai court cuts jail term but increases fine to Dh150 million

The Dubai Court of Appeal has upheld a four-year prison sentence against Indian businessman Balvinder Singh Sahni, widely known as ‘Abu Sabah’, and sharply increased the financial penalties against him and his co-defendants in one of the largest money-laundering cases ever tried in the UAE.

The court also ordered Abu Sabah and 32 others to pay Dh150 million, in addition to a Dh500,000 fine and the confiscation of illicit assets. Abu Sabah will also be deported after serving his sentence.

Abu Sabah, who owns a property management firm with branches in the UAE, the US and India, was first convicted a criminal court of laundering money as part of an organised network that used shell companies and suspicious cross-border transfers to disguise illicit funds. He was initially sentenced to five years in prison, fined Dh500,000 and ordered to forfeit Dh150 million.

The appeals court revised the ruling, reducing his prison term from five to four years but affirming the fines and asset seizure while making the Dh150 million penalty a joint liability shared by the entire group of defendants.

In total, 33 defendants were convicted, some in absentia. Eleven received five-year sentences and Dh500,000 fines, 10 were sentenced to one year in prison and fined Dh200,000 each, while three companies were fined Dh5 million apiece. Authorities also ordered the confiscation of funds, electronic devices and mobile phones tied to the crimes.

The case began with a tip to Dubai Police and was referred to prosecutors in December 2024. The first hearings opened in January, leading investigators to uncover what they described as a sophisticated money-laundering network.

Abu Sabah, known in Dubai for his lavish lifestyle, gained notoriety in 2016 when he paid Dh33 million at auction for a coveted licence plate bearing the number “5.”