Dubai attorney general to push for Sanjay Shah's extradition to Denmark

Essam Issa Al Humaidan lodges appeal after Dubai court rejected Danish tax authority's request

Sanjay Shah, pictured in his Dubai home in 2017, was detained by police in June 2022. Denmark's tax authority says he defrauded the Danish state of $1.7bn through a complex scheme known as cum ex trading. Antonie Robertson / The National

Shah pictured in 2020. He admits making huge sums of money through cum ex trading in Denmark but denies he broke any laws, which the Danish government disputes. Antonie Robertson / The National

Justin Bieber performs at the Autism Rocks Arena in Dubai in 2016. Sanjay Shah ran the arena, which was named after a UK-registered autism charity that he founded. The charity and arena are no longer operating. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Abdullah Al Nuaimi, Minister of Justice, in June said Shah's arrest was a clear sign of the commitment to disrupting organised crime. In the past two years there has been a spate of arrests and extraditions of alleged criminals. Victor Besa / The National

Dubai's attorney general will push for the extradition of a British citizen accused of a $1.7 billion fraud in Denmark, after a local court rejected a Danish request this week.

Essam Issa Al Humaidan has appealed against the ruling by Dubai Court of Appeal judges which allowed Sanjay Shah to remain in the emirate.

A fresh hearing will be heard before the Court of Cassation, the highest court in the three-tier system.

Shah, a hedge fund manager who lived in a mansion on Palm Jumeirah, remains in detention, his lawyer told The National this week.

“In accordance with the authority vested in him under the Law of International Judicial Co-operation, the Attorney General of Dubai has appealed the ruling of the Dubai Court of Appeal refusing the extradition request,” a statement from Dubai Government Media Office said.

Shah is wanted by Danish authorities for alleged tax fraud.

Danish tax authorities accused Mr Shah of being a key player in a scheme in which foreign businesses pretended to own shares in Danish companies to claim tax refunds for which they were not eligible

Dubai Police arrested Shah in June following a request by Denmark.

On Monday, judges said UAE prosecutors acting on behalf of the Danish government had not properly submitted court documents that met the threshold for extradition, though they did not release full details.

Following that decision, Shah's lawyers began pushing for his release.

Then, in an unexpected turn of events on Thursday, judges in Dubai presiding over a civil lawsuit filed by the Danish government ruled that Shah must repay $1.25bn to the Danish state.

Dubai's extradition of criminal suspects