Who said what to whom at a meeting in the Shangri-La hotel in Dubai last month?
That question has assumed big significance in legal actions in the US and London, and it has repercussions for investors in the GCC. The answer could also determine the fate of some potentially life-saving biotechnology affecting the health of thousands of hospital patients around the world.
The meeting took place on June 17 at the hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road. We know the names of at least two of the people present: Dr Liam Fox and Harvey Boulter.
Dr Fox is the UK's minister of defence and a member of the cabinet. He has a tough job in these difficult times, trying to balance the demands of his government's austerity measures, which require millions of pounds of cuts from the country's armed services, with the needs of service members on active duty around the world, especially in Afghanistan.
Mr Boulter is an entrepreneur who has been based in Dubai for the past five years after a stint in Hong Kong. His area of expertise is the commercialisation of projects and technologies developed by the defence industry. A former investment banker in the City of London, he has helped to bring several projects to profitable fruition, to his own benefit and that of the UK public exchequer.
One such was BacLite, a technology developed by the British ministry of defence (MoD) as a test for biochemical weaponry in battlefield conditions.
Mr Boulter's private-equity fund Porton Group (backed significantly by some powerful investors in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait) acquired a controlling stake in BacLite from the MoD in 2005. He and his scientific experts believed that BacLite could also be a weapon against a disease called MRSA, caused by a bacterium that attacks humans, especially in hospitals.
By 2006, Mr Boulter had found a buyer for BacLite, in the shape of the US giant 3M. The Minnesota group is best known for its Post-it notes and Scotch tape but is also involved in a host of "innovative" industrial processes, including medical products.
What happened thereafter is the subject of legal action in the US and the UK. Mr Boulter claims 3M reneged on a deal to pay as much as £51 million (Dh306.9m), depending on BacLite's commercial performance over three years.
3M denies this and says instead that BacLite never lived up to expectations. Trials by the US food and drugs administrator showed a lower success rate in detecting MRSA than previous tests in Europe, 3M says.
In the barrage of claim and counterclaim that has followed, nothing has so far been conclusively proved. Mr Boulter wants the balance of the £51m.
3M, headed by the British businessman Sir George Buckley, seems equally determined not to stump up. The courts will decide.
What was said, or not said, at the Shangri-La may have a bearing on the court's decision. Apart from the commercial suits, there are also legal actions for defamation and blackmail going on in the US and the UK. There is no need to go into the details of those allegations here.
The MoD says that "Dr Fox met with Mr Boulter to discuss an entirely different matter. At no point did he enter into discussion about this legal case".
It could be assumed the MoD is referring to the commercial litigation going on over BacLite, but that is not clear from the statement.
Mr Boulter, meanwhile, is adamant that BacLite was discussed, for five minutes out of a 45-minute meeting, and says he has a couple of witnesses to back him up. He denies any blackmail allegations.
But if there was no discussion of BacLite, what did they meet to talk about? The MoD has not, so far, answered that one. Why did Dr Fox take time out from his tour of the region, which included a trip to Afghanistan, to meet Mr Boulter if not to discuss the burning question of the day? Who else was at the meeting?
So many questions from the Shangri-La meeting. It's time the MoD came up with some answers.
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Company profile
Name: Tratok Portal
Founded: 2017
Based: UAE
Sector: Travel & tourism
Size: 36 employees
Funding: Privately funded
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
In Full Flight: A Story of Africa and Atonement
John Heminway, Knopff
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Racecard:
2.30pm: Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoun Emirates Breeders Society Challenge; Conditions (PA); Dh40,000; 1,600m
3pm: Handicap; Dh80,000; 1,800m
3.30pm: Jebel Ali Mile Prep Rated Conditions; Dh110,000; 1,600m
4pm: Handicap; Dh95,000; 1,950m
4.30pm: Maiden; Dh65,000; 1,400m
5pm: Handicap; Dh85,000; 1,200m
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
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The%20specs
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RESULT
Manchester City 1 Sheffield United 0
Man City: Jesus (9')
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Ibrahim's play list
Completed an electrical diploma at the Adnoc Technical Institute
Works as a public relations officer with Adnoc
Apart from the piano, he plays the accordion, oud and guitar
His favourite composer is Johann Sebastian Bach
Also enjoys listening to Mozart
Likes all genres of music including Arabic music and jazz
Enjoys rock groups Scorpions and Metallica
Other musicians he likes are Syrian-American pianist Malek Jandali and Lebanese oud player Rabih Abou Khalil
The%20specs
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Company%20Profile
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.