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An Italian man trapped in his country’s embassy in the UAE for six months has claimed he was the victim of a diplomatic row between the two countries and is begging the government of Giorgia Meloni to bring him home.
Andrea Costantino, 49, said he had been in a small room at the Italian embassy in Abu Dhabi since his release in late May from Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi’s notorious maximum security prison Living like a “groundhog”.Accused of financing terrorism in war-torn region for more than a year Yemen After delivering a shipment of diesel to customers there.
Oil trader Costantino cannot leave the UAE until he pays a 275,000-euro (£236,000) fine for the allegations, which he says are “completely unfounded”.
He added: “I only sleep a few hours a night because I’ve been having nightmares about my time in prison and the constant nightmare of being trapped here now – it feels like I’m buried alive.”
In March 2021, Costantino, his wife and daughter were arrested by police from the UAE Special Forces at the Fairmont Hotel on Palm Jumeirah, Dubai.
He set up a company in Dubai in 2012 and spent most of his time there doing business with Middle Eastern countries until he was arrested, mainly for shipping a shipment of diesel from Fujairah, UAE to a customer in 2016 In Yemen at the beginning of the year.
The Saudi-UAE coalition has been at war in Yemen since 2015, supporting the Yemeni government’s fight against Iran-backed Houthi rebels, which it defines as a terrorist organization.
Costantino said the shipment was authorized under a humanitarian license issued by the Saudi-UAE coalition, with the end customer of the diesel being the Yemeni Oil Company, and the end customer of the diesel being generators for schools and hospitals. He also received customs clearance for the shipment from UAE authorities.
However, UAE prosecutors allege that the intermediate recipient of the shipment was a Houthi-linked man who was placed on Saudi Arabia’s “most wanted” list in late 2017.
Costantino, whose passport was with the UAE authorities, still had to pay the fine before leaving.
He said he lost 15 kilograms (34 pounds) during the ordeal and could not leave the embassy because he risked being arrested again.
“I woke up feeling sick,” he said. “Then I prepare a cup of coffee – at least I can do it here, because in prison it’s impossible. Then I do some exercise and try to wake up from the nightmare. Then I will spend the day talking with my family on the phone. Talk to as many people as possible despite limited wifi.”
Costantino, who has two children, including a son from his first marriage, said he was bullied at school by children who called his father a terrorist.
Costantino, who lost his business and savings, used his father’s credit card to order food online. “I forget to eat most of the time though,” he said. His father is trying to raise money to secure his release.
Costantino was arrested two months later Luis Di MaioThe former Italian foreign minister announced on social media that Italy has withdrawn the sale of thousands of missiles and aircraft bombs to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for their use in Yemen. Di Maio described the move as “a clear message of peace from our country” demonstrating an “unbreakable commitment” to human rights.
In June 2021, the UAE ordered Italy to withdraw its forces from the Al Minhad military air base in Dubai, in apparent retaliation for the arms embargo. Di Maio has come under fire in Italy and the UAE for failing to communicate his decision to the two Gulf states, which in turn has drawn further criticism from the Gulf and Europe over his new presidency. leader EU envoy role in the region.
Costantino believes he is a victim of diplomatic tensions.
“When the prosecutor interviewed me a few days after my arrest, he spent about 20 minutes asking me about Italy. This is crazy. “
A spokesman for Di Maio said the arrest had nothing to do with the former foreign minister, adding that Di Maio had intervened to have Costantino released from prison and transferred to the embassy.
in a video Last summer, then-opposition leader Meloni, who became Italy’s prime minister in October, described Costantino’s arrest as “completely unjustified,” adding that he was “paying for the tension between Italy and the UAE.” costly” and potentially “hostage” tensions. She urged the Italian government, then led by Mario Draghi, to “act swiftly” to bring him back to Italy.
Costantino said he sought help for his release from Italy’s previous and current governments, but received no response. “I now implore Meloni to fulfill her promise to ask the leadership of the UAE to let me return to Italy,” he said.
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