Intense pressure is building on the new Labour Government to demand the release of two British businessmen who have been largely forgotten in a United Arab Emirates prison for 17 years.
A Plea for Direct Intervention
Two of the UK's leading human rights lawyers, Rhys Davies KC and Ben Keith KC, have written a formal letter to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper. They are urging her to personally intervene in the distressing cases of Ryan Cornelius, 71, and Charles Ridley, 66. The pair have been languishing in a Dubai prison since their arrest in 2008.
The two men were convicted of fraud in a case concerning the alleged misuse of a substantial $501 million (£370 million) loan provided by the Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB). In their powerful letter, the lawyers describe the men's detention as 'unlawful', stating it followed a conviction in what they label a 'kangaroo court'. They warn this situation 'is likely to continue unless the United Kingdom Government takes action'.
A Case Labelled a 'Total Stitch-Up'
Critically, before their arrest, both men had agreed to a settlement scheme with the bank and had already begun to repay the money. Despite this, they were detained and later convicted. Speaking to the Mail on Sunday, Rhys Davies KC highlighted the pair's retroactive sentencing. After their original conviction, a new law was introduced, under which they were sentenced to another 20 years in prison.
Mr Davies stated their plight is 'totally antithetical to the rule of law – a total stitch up'. He emphatically added, 'This is a clear case of injustice, and these Brits need to have their lives given back to them. The UK government needs to act.'
Chris Pagett OBE, a former Foreign Office official and brother-in-law to Ryan Cornelius, described the case as 'a source of acute embarrassment to the Foreign Office'. He noted it strikes a 'jarring note' in the UK's pursuit of close commercial ties with the UAE.
International Condemnation and Personal Ruin
The detention of both Britons has been formally ruled unlawful by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. The UN issued a judgement on Ryan Cornelius's case in April 2022 and made the same ruling for Charles Ridley just last month. Mr Pagett stated that the British government's lack of an effective response is 'a mark of shame'.
Meanwhile, the Dubai Islamic Bank has seized the men's assets in Dubai, which include The Plantation property development. Mr Pagett claims this asset is now worth seven times the sum originally owed. Cornelius and Ridley accuse the bank of seeking to 'punish' them with decades more behind bars, despite having completed their original sentence and being left 'close to destitute'. The human cost is severe; Cornelius's wife, Heather, is now homeless and moves between family members.
While a letter signed by 146 British MPs has been sent to the UAE urging clemency, hopes are fading. Mr Pagett reports the family's mood is 'very dark', noting that nine previous appeals for clemency from junior foreign office ministers have been ignored. The call for Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper to take direct, high-level action is now the central demand.
An FCDO spokesperson said: 'The UK government continues to provide support to Mr Cornelius and Mr Ridley. We are in contact with their families and legal representatives, and we continue to raise their cases with the UAE authorities.'
