British entrepreneur flees debts in Dubai
I love his last comment .................:o)))))
Simon Ford, who founded a "gift experience" company that prospered in the United Arab Emirates' boom years, said he had been forced to escape as he feared being sent to debtors' prison under strict bankruptcy laws.
He is one of thousands of British and other expatriates who have lost work and businesses and are leaving Dubai as it experiences its worst crisis since the UAE's founding 40 years ago.
DubaiOne bank has predicted the city's 1.4 million population could shrink by almost a fifth. More than 85 per cent of its population is foreign.
Mr Ford said his decision was made quickly. As his business's debts began to spiral and creditors started to threaten him, he talked to his wife about giving up on Thursday of last week.
He has written an open letter to the city apologising for not paying the money he owes his creditors.
"There is a very stark reality in doing business in the UAE which unfortunately results in the most horrible decisions having to be made," he wrote.
In the early hours of Sunday morning, they were on a plane to Britain with their three children, aged four, two and one.
His company, Blue Banana, prospered in the party atmosphere of Dubai's property and investment bubble. He was listed by a local version of Hello! magazine as one of the UAE's "100 hot entrepreneurs" in 2007.
Mr Ford told The Telegraph he had been contacted by other businessmen who had suffered a similar fate and ended up in jail.
He said he was in contact with his creditors and intended to repay them once he was back on his feet.
"I am eternally sorry and am committed to taking personal responsibility to paying back everything that is owed, no matter how long this may take," his letter said.
Source: The Telegraph
well, it is a logical decision to make to go away from the country. which does not have bank rupcy laws...
please understand that laws in this part of the world are based on a more traditional society where you never lent money to someone whose family you didn't know from the ark! Accordingly there is zero tolerance for default as this would shame the whole family. I was in my friends travel agency when the harassed Indian accountant arrived with a local who did not wish to pay immediately for his ticket. My friend the MD said give him the ticket. Afterwards he told me that the clients brother was being sued by the company for half a million riyals in unpaid air tickets, how can I understand this! Give up.
is a good place for money laundering also...
Britexpat it works the other way also, I know a few people who have CCJ's outstanding against them and now they are residing in Dubai and even doing business there.
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HE WHO DARES WINS
Ask yourself, would you retire in Dubai?!
If yes, then maybe its a good place for you, to invest!
till the property price there collapse like in US then it is the shopping time...
Dubai certainly has not expected this kind of situation to happen, as their system to deal with debt further motivates people to run away.
If this continues this way, the whole Dubai will look like a ghost town, just like the palms already do!
the interpol does not get involved in bank defaults or credit card default until and unless its a single case valued @ over 10, MIL USD. For instance, if Simon Ford had 50 cases totaling to 10 MIL ; the Interpol cannot be involved. They have more serious issues to tackle. So in his case, its the banks and the suppliers who will go after him independently through whatever means they can come up with.
He has made it so public, coz he knows he cannot be extradited from the UK back to Dubai. He is safe, but he just cannot come back to the UAE.
BTW: Is there an extradition treaty between UAE and Qatar? I know a few blokes who has defaulted in dubai and are now working in Doha.
Peace
Mr.Paul,
I don't think that it’s you!
O never thought of that one.. Thanks for the lead. Will have a words with Mrs UkEng tonight..:)
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HE WHO DARES WINS
You can still leg it if you have a multiple exit-reentry :o)
Thank God that they have exit permit in Qatar..?
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HE WHO DARES WINS
does anybody else think the place is just fake ?
Its all steel, glass and bullshit !!
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I think you have me confused with someone who gives a sh1t.
I don't have any symapthy for the guy.. His blase attitude pisses me off.. I wonder why interpol can't haul his ass back to Dubai..
What would you expect from a guy that talks like this: “I blew all my student loans on electric guitars, pierced my belly button (luckily it’s no more), didn’t wash my hair for six months and was convinced I was going to be a rock star,”...
http://www.ahlanlive.com/hot100/hot100cat.php?catID=13&nomID=316
It is unfortunately quite common nowadays in Dubai.
Just last friday, not to far from the Dubai Mall, we witnessed an expat running out of a taxi without paying the fare. The taxi driver was big enough to teach the guy a lesson who apparently was to drunk to find any money in his empty wallet.
It’s really dreadful to witness the massive waste of money in the out of control and unsustainable Dubai, knowing how much hunger and poverty the world has!
Dubai is an unsustainable madness ambition, for the smart, greedy and short sighted Simons, who like to show-off what they can’t afford!
...Avada Kedavra..