Billionaire businessman, Abdulrahman vows to challenge Dubai court judgement, describes it as pressure tactics

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The Founder of Rahmaniya Group, Abdulrahman Bashar, has vowed to challenge a recent judgment issued against him by a Dubai court, describing it as a pressure tactic aimed at tarnishing his reputation and business.

The court sentenced Abdulrahman to one year in prison over an alleged financial crime related to his dealings with CE Energy Company, an oil and gas firm.

However, Abdulrahman maintains his innocence and is taking legal steps to overturn the ruling, working alongside the global law firm HFW.

The verdict, delivered on January 30, 2025, was issued in Abdulrahman’s absence, denying him the opportunity to properly defend himself against the allegations.

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His legal team expects the Dubai courts to overturn the judgment once his defence is presented.

In response to the ruling, Nick Braganza, counsel to Abdulrahman said: “We refer to the criminal proceedings and recent judgment issued against Mr. Bashar on January 30, 2025. First and foremost, Mr. Bashar rejects any allegations of criminality.”

He further alleged that the criminal case was filed as a pressure tactic within the context of ongoing commercial disputes between him and CE Energy.

“There are several ongoing civil disputes between CE Energy and Mr. Bashar. The criminal proceedings, in our view, were initiated as part of a strategy to threaten Mr Bashar’s reputation and business,” Braganza dispute resolution partner at HFW, Dubai said.

Abdulrahman also accused CE Energy of employing aggressive legal tactics, including obtaining a worldwide freezing order (WFO) against him from an English court.

However, he successfully challenged the WFO, which was subsequently discharged. CE Energy’s appeal was also rejected by the Court of Appeal, with the English court dismissing the company’s legal manoeuvres as baseless.

Importantly, Abdulrahman is currently in Nigeria conducting his business legally and is not in prison, as some have speculated.