Asim Ghafoor, an American lawyer detained in the United Arab Emirates since mid-July, was released early on Saturday, ending efforts by members of Congress and other members of Congress. Islamic advocacy group to free him. They have raised concerns that he is being targeted politically because of his ties to Jamal Khashoggi, the murdered Saudi journalist.
Emirates arrested Mr Ghafoor in July after convicting him in absentia of money laundering and tax evasion. He was at the airport in Dubai waiting for his flight to Istanbul. His sentence was three years, followed by deportation, plus a $1.36 million fine and forfeiture of money the court said he had illegally moved through the country: approximately 4, 9 million dollars.
But an Emirati court revoked his prison term on Wednesday after Mr Ghafoor appealed, although it upheld his conviction.
Ghafoor’s lawyer, Faisal Mahmood Gill, said on Saturday that he had been released after paying the fine and was on a flight back to the United States. Mr Ghafoor is not currently the target of any investigation and will return to practicing law, Mr Gill added.
“We weren’t happy to see him in custody in the first place, but we’re glad they released him,” Mr Gill said in a phone interview.
Mr. Ghafoor has been held since July 14 at Dubai International Airport. The United Arab Emirates said it had convicted him based on the results of an investigation into him that was opened at the request of the United States, although the State Department said the United States did not request an arrest. he.
Ghafoor, who lives in Virginia and works in Washington, helped set up a human rights group with Mr. Khashoggi, a Saudi columnist for The Washington Post, who has worked killed in 2018 by Saudi agents in Turkey. He is on the board of an advocacy group founded by Mr. Khashoggi and has criticized the United Arab Emirates for its record of prosecuting and jailing dissidents.
Mr Ghafoor’s supporters say that in addition to the possibly politically motivated case, he was denied due process and was unaware of the charges prior to his detention.
Emirates insists the case is purely about money laundering and the State Department says there is no indication that his arrest is related to his work with Mr. Khashoggi.
