A multi-billionaire sheikh and his wife face losing their £8.3 million London home after a High Court judge rejected their claim that the property belonged to her under Islamic custom. Sheikh Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber and his wife Makiyah Al Jaber argued that the house in Winnington Road, Hampstead Garden Suburb, was her property because Islamic tradition requires a husband to provide a home for his wife, which she then owns.
The dispute arose after one of the sheikh's companies, MBI International & Partners Inc, went into liquidation in 2017. Liquidators are seeking to recover debts now standing at almost £80 million, and obtained an interim charging order on the property in 2023. The couple contested the final order, claiming the house was held on trust for Mrs Al Jaber and could not be used to pay the sheikh's debts.
Mrs Al Jaber told the court she had always believed the house was hers, as her husband had told her he would buy it for her. She also argued she had earned part ownership through her substantial contributions to the property over 34 years, including overseeing renovations. However, Deputy Master Joanna Valentine dismissed her arguments, ruling that the sheikh owns the house both in law and in reality.
The judge noted that the property was a family home where Mrs Al Jaber had lived for many years, but found no evidence to support her claims of beneficial ownership. She also ordered the couple to jointly pay the liquidators' legal costs, which amount to nearly £750,000. The house is on Winnington Road, which was named Britain's most expensive street last year, with average house prices of nearly £12 million.
