London – British police said Saturday they were reviewing an investigationinto the disappearance of the ruler of Dubai’s daughter after a court foundthat she had been abducted by her father.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, who is vice-president and primeminister of the United Arab Emirates, orchestrated the forcible return homeof Sheikha Shamsa from Britain in 2000, the High Court ruled earlier thisweek.
The finding was part of a damning judgement that also revealed the sheikhhad seized Shamsa’s sister Latifa, now 35, twice and returned her to Dubai.
Police in the English city of Cambridge investigated Shamsa’s disappearancethere two decades ago, when she was 19, but there was insufficient evidenceto take any further action.
A review in 2017 came to a similar conclusion, but the force is nowconducting a further review in the wake of the court ruling.
A spokeswoman for Cambridgeshire police noted that the standard of proof incriminal cases is significantly different to that of family court hearings.
“However, in light of the recent release of the judgement, aspects of thecase will now be subject to review,” she said.
The ruling was issued as part of a legal dispute between the sheikh and hismost recent ex-wife, Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, who applied forprotection for their two school age children.
It found the sheikh had subjected Princess Haya, a half-sister of Jordan’sKing Abdullah II, to a “campaign of fear and intimidation”, forcing her toflee to London.
– Foreign Office role –
There have been questions over whether the Foreign Office intervened tostop the police investigation into Shamsa’s disappearance because ofBritain’s close ties to Dubai.
The detective in charge, David Beck — now retired — was quoted in Britishmedia Saturday as saying he was told the case was being shelved because of”significant sensitivities”.
At a hearing in the case in November, details of which were made publicthis week, Princess Haya’s lawyer, Charles Geekie, said then Britishforeign minister Robin Cook expressed a “direct interest” in the probe.
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The court ruling confirmed that Beck had been refused permission from thestate prosecution service to visit Dubai to interview potential witnesses.
It also said the Foreign Office has information relating to that request,which it has declined to publish, citing concerns about the harm posed toUK-UAE relations.
“But it is not possible to find on the balance of probability thatpermission for Mr Beck to visit Dubai was refused because of the directintervention of the FCO,” the judgement said.
– State-sanctioned abduction –
Human rights groups have now called for the release of Shamsa and Latifa,who the court found had been effectively imprisoned in Dubai since theirattempts to flee.
“Abducting family members abroad and continuing to confine them shows theextent to which UAE rulers behave as if they are unaccountable for theiractions and above the law,” said Rothna Begum, senior women’s rightsresearcher at Human Rights Watch.
“The UAE authorities should immediately free Sheikha Shamsa and SheikhaLatifa, allow them to leave the UAE if they wish, investigate theirabduction and allegations of torture, and bring those responsible toaccount.”
Lynn Maalouf, Amnesty International’s Middle East research director, added:”Throughout the hearing, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid has insisted these are’private family matters’.
“But state-sanctioned abduction and inhuman treatment is not a familyaffair. It is a serious human rights violation and a matter ofinternational concern.
“Federal law in the UAE leaves women unprotected and undermined, which toooften leaves them vulnerable to abuse by male family members.” -APP/AFP
