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Represented U.S. Citizenship and Civil Rights Attorney Asim Ghafoor Jamal Khashoggi Before the murder of the Saudi journalist, he had been released in the UAE, where he was convicted of money laundering.
Gafoor was released after paying a fine with the help of the U.S. embassy in the UAE, and he was returning to the United States, said Faisal Gil, his lawyer.
On Wednesday, a court upheld Ghafoor’s earlier default sentence, ordering him to pay a fine but vacating a three-year prison sentence handed down in May. Emirati officials had no immediate comment.
Ghafoor, the former lawyer for dissident Saudi journalist Khashoggi murdered at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul in 2018, is in transit at Dubai airport on July 14, when he was detained in absentia on a conviction ordered in May for money Money laundering and tax evasion following US authorities’ request for assistance in 2020.
Abu Dhabi’s judiciary said on Wednesday that a court had seized funds that flowed through the country illegally. He will also be deported, it said.
Ghafoor’s lawyer Habib Al Mullah said the court confiscated 18 million dirhams ($4.9 million).
U.S. officials have not confirmed the request for assistance, but said the arrests were not at the request of Washington.
U.S. media reports say Gafoor, who lives in Virginia, has come under U.S. surveillance in the past for representing Muslim Americans in civil rights cases.
When U.S. President Joe Biden visited the region in July, his trial and detention in absentia drew criticism from human rights groups and members of Congress.
Ghafoor’s supporters say he was denied due process and was unaware of the charges until he was detained. Some believe the arrest may have been politically motivated, citing his ties to Khashoggi and his work with rights groups critical of the UAE.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the killing of Khashoggi, U.S. intelligence said. The prince denied involvement. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are close allies.
UAE officials have repeatedly said that the case against Ghafoor is all about financial crime.
Reuters in Dubai
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