UK court rules in case of Dubai Princess Haya
After repeatedly committing violations against its own princesses, the UK rules against the UAE in the case of Princess Haya, requiring her ex-husband to pay over $662 million.
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Princess Haya bint Al Hussein, the wife of Dubai's Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, in London, Britain February 26, 2020 (Reuters)
UAE Vice President and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has been ordered to pay a divorce settlement of some $662 million to his ex-wife Princess Haya and their children by the British High Court.
The court described the Sheikh as "the main threat" to his family, UK media reported Tuesday.
Following a number of hearings in the UK, where Haya took refuge in 2019, Dubai's ruler was found to have organized an intimidation campaign against his ex-wife, hacked her phones with the Pegasus spyware, and tried to buy an estate next to her home in Berkshire. His actions posed a "very significant threat to her security," according to The Guardian, who quoted court rulings.
On the basis of the rulings, the senior UAE official was ordered to pay more than £250 million upfront to the princess and submit a bank guarantee of some £290 million for yearly payments, media reports said.
"I am entirely satisfied that this means that, although HRH [her royal highness Haya] and the children would require security provision in any event, given their status and the general threats of terrorism and kidnap faced in such circumstances, they are particularly vulnerable and need water-tight security to ensure their continued safety and security in this country," Judge Philip Moor said.
The major threat to the princess and her children comes "uniquely" from the sheikh, the judge underlined.
Judge Moor also indicated that the number of payments might be further reconsidered if the children's security situation changes. But for now, he said, the risk to them remains clear.
Israeli media had previously reported that the occupation's cybersecurity firm NSO had sold its infamous Pegasus spyware to two UAE leaders: the ruler of Abu Dhabi Mohammad bin Zayed and the ruler of Dubai Mohammad bin Rashid al-Maktoum.
The UAE has been under fire numerous times for abuses and violations of human rights within the royal family and outside of it, including within Expo 2020, which Human Rights Watch labeled "a facade to UAE human rights abuses".
