Latest news with #Cornelius
The Independent
5 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
Family of detained Briton in Dubai say Foreign Office is ‘treating them like dirt'
The family of an unjustly imprisoned Briton in Dubai have accused the Foreign Office of 'treating them like dirt' after David Lammy cancelled a belated meeting to discuss how to broker their loved one's release just moments before their arrival. Wife Heather Cornelius and brother-in-law Chris Pagett spent three hours travelling to London last Tuesday for a meeting with the foreign secretary to discuss the case of Ryan Cornelius, the 71-year-old British businessman who has spent the last 17 years languishing in a Dubai jail. He is the longest currently detained Briton on charges understood to be unfair. The father-of-three, 71, has spent his children's lives imprisoned over an alleged £370m fraud. The United Arab Emirates says he illegally obtained a loan from the government-affiliated Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) by bribing staff members, but the United Nations says the charge of fraud is unjust. Last month, the European Parliament passed a resolution condemning his detention in 'inhumane conditions' in Al-Awir prison and calling for his 'immediate and unconditional release'. The UAE says Mr Cornelius cannot be released until his debt is repaid, despite the DIB having seized assets from the British businessman exceeding £800m. Mr Cornelius accuses the DIB, which is chaired by a senior, non-royal government official, of being his 'effective jailers'. The previous foreign secretary, Lord David Cameron, met with Ms Cornelius and Mr Pagett last year to help broker Mr Cornelius' release, but the family say the succeeding Labour government has been less helpful, despite Mr Lammy championing the need for improved advocacy for Brits arbitrarily detained abroad. Sir Keir Starmer is also reportedly on the brink of agreeing a £1.6 billion trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council, of which the UAE is a key member. After Ms Cornelius delivered a letter to the prime minister in April calling for him to intervene, the Foreign Office got in contact to organise a meeting. Ms Cornelius was initially hesitant, as she had requested a meeting with the prime minister, but accepted the invitation to see Mr Lammy in the hope that, even if previous negotiations with foreign secretaries had not yielded results, this latest encounter might have some positive effect. But after days of sleepless nights in anticipation of the meeting, Ms Cornelius found herself plunged back into ' despair' and 'hopelessness' on the side of the M4, as an official told her and Mr Pagett that the meeting had been suddenly cancelled. The low-level diplomat said the meeting could not go ahead because the junior official for the Middle East, Hamish Falconer, had been taken ill. They declined to explain why that would impact a meeting with Mr Lammy, or why this could not have been conveyed to them before they were nearing London for their 5.30pm appointment. They added that they would be in touch later to discuss reorganising the appointment. In a letter sent by Mr Pagett to the Foreign Office on Wednesday morning, seen by The Independent, the brother-in-law said Ms Cornelius then broke out into a 'bleak howl'. Addressing a Foreign Office diplomat, Mr Pagett wrote: 'I hope you never have to hear a member of your family emit the bleak howl of utter despair which I heard from Heather yesterday.' Speaking later on Wednesday, Mr Pagett said he had 'never been so angry' in his life, describing the way the Foreign Office had handled them as 'callous'. 'They make you feel like s**t,' he said. For Mr and Ms Cornelius, this latest 'kick in the teeth' from the Foreign Office causes further damage to their hopes of him ever being released. While the European parliament and the UN continue to call for Mr Cornelius' release, the Foreign Office persists in being 'shifty' and lacking in empathy, Mr Pagett said.
Rhyl Journal
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Rhyl Journal
MPs call for sanctions over British man detained in Dubai for 17 years
The group of 15 parliamentarians, led by Sir Iain Duncan Smith, said the case of Ryan Cornelius was a 'flagrant example of arbitrary detention and abuse of power' as they asked David Lammy to publicly call for his release. Mr Cornelius, now 71, was detained for 10 years in 2008 as part of a bank fraud case, and the detention was extended by 20 years in 2018. A UN working group has found he is subject to arbitrary detention and last week the European Parliament passed a resolution condemning his detention in 'inhumane conditions' and calling for his 'immediate and unconditional release'. After the European Parliament resolution, Sir Iain and his colleagues asked Mr Lammy to 'immediately clarify the Government's position on Mr Cornelius's case and confirm what steps you will now take to press for his release'. Specifically, they asked whether the Government would make 'strong representations to the UAE on his behalf', publicly call for his release and impose 'targeted' sanctions on those responsible for his detention. They said: 'The UK has a moral and legal duty to act, as well as a diplomatic responsibility to defend its citizens abroad from such mistreatment. 'We urge the Government to act with the utmost urgency to secure his release.' Sir Iain said it was 'vital' for the Government to take 'decisive action' to secure Mr Cornelius's release. Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer has previously said the Government would 'continue to highlight their concerns' in talks with the UAE and was providing Mr Cornelius with consular assistance, while it took reports of human rights violations 'very seriously'. But the UK's response to his detention has been criticised by Mr Cornelius's wife Heather and brother-in-law Chris Pagett. They said: 'For more than 17 years, we have had nothing but defensive waffle from the British Foreign Office. 'The European Parliament has made a strong and direct call to the UAE for Ryan's release within months of our taking his case to them. 'The contrast is shameful. The British people deserve better.' It is understood that the Government is supporting Mr Cornelius's application for clemency, and the issue was raised by the Foreign Secretary during a trip to the UAE in December last year.
South Wales Guardian
15-07-2025
- Politics
- South Wales Guardian
MPs call for sanctions over British man detained in Dubai for 17 years
The group of 15 parliamentarians, led by Sir Iain Duncan Smith, said the case of Ryan Cornelius was a 'flagrant example of arbitrary detention and abuse of power' as they asked David Lammy to publicly call for his release. Mr Cornelius, now 71, was detained for 10 years in 2008 as part of a bank fraud case, and the detention was extended by 20 years in 2018. A UN working group has found he is subject to arbitrary detention and last week the European Parliament passed a resolution condemning his detention in 'inhumane conditions' and calling for his 'immediate and unconditional release'. After the European Parliament resolution, Sir Iain and his colleagues asked Mr Lammy to 'immediately clarify the Government's position on Mr Cornelius's case and confirm what steps you will now take to press for his release'. Specifically, they asked whether the Government would make 'strong representations to the UAE on his behalf', publicly call for his release and impose 'targeted' sanctions on those responsible for his detention. They said: 'The UK has a moral and legal duty to act, as well as a diplomatic responsibility to defend its citizens abroad from such mistreatment. 'We urge the Government to act with the utmost urgency to secure his release.' Sir Iain said it was 'vital' for the Government to take 'decisive action' to secure Mr Cornelius's release. Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer has previously said the Government would 'continue to highlight their concerns' in talks with the UAE and was providing Mr Cornelius with consular assistance, while it took reports of human rights violations 'very seriously'. But the UK's response to his detention has been criticised by Mr Cornelius's wife Heather and brother-in-law Chris Pagett. They said: 'For more than 17 years, we have had nothing but defensive waffle from the British Foreign Office. 'The European Parliament has made a strong and direct call to the UAE for Ryan's release within months of our taking his case to them. 'The contrast is shameful. The British people deserve better.' It is understood that the Government is supporting Mr Cornelius's application for clemency, and the issue was raised by the Foreign Secretary during a trip to the UAE in December last year.
Powys County Times
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Powys County Times
MPs call for sanctions over British man detained in Dubai for 17 years
MPs and peers have urged the Foreign Secretary to sanction those responsible for the detention of a British man in Dubai for the past 17 years. The group of 15 parliamentarians, led by Sir Iain Duncan Smith, said the case of Ryan Cornelius was a 'flagrant example of arbitrary detention and abuse of power' as they asked David Lammy to publicly call for his release. Mr Cornelius, now 71, was detained for 10 years in 2008 as part of a bank fraud case, and the detention was extended by 20 years in 2018. A UN working group has found he is subject to arbitrary detention and last week the European Parliament passed a resolution condemning his detention in 'inhumane conditions' and calling for his 'immediate and unconditional release'. After the European Parliament resolution, Sir Iain and his colleagues asked Mr Lammy to 'immediately clarify the Government's position on Mr Cornelius's case and confirm what steps you will now take to press for his release'. Specifically, they asked whether the Government would make 'strong representations to the UAE on his behalf', publicly call for his release and impose 'targeted' sanctions on those responsible for his detention. They said: 'The UK has a moral and legal duty to act, as well as a diplomatic responsibility to defend its citizens abroad from such mistreatment. 'We urge the Government to act with the utmost urgency to secure his release.' Sir Iain said it was 'vital' for the Government to take 'decisive action' to secure Mr Cornelius's release. Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer has previously said the Government would 'continue to highlight their concerns' in talks with the UAE and was providing Mr Cornelius with consular assistance, while it took reports of human rights violations 'very seriously'. But the UK's response to his detention has been criticised by Mr Cornelius's wife Heather and brother-in-law Chris Pagett. They said: 'For more than 17 years, we have had nothing but defensive waffle from the British Foreign Office. 'The European Parliament has made a strong and direct call to the UAE for Ryan's release within months of our taking his case to them. 'The contrast is shameful. The British people deserve better.' It is understood that the Government is supporting Mr Cornelius's application for clemency, and the issue was raised by the Foreign Secretary during a trip to the UAE in December last year.
North Wales Chronicle
15-07-2025
- Politics
- North Wales Chronicle
MPs call for sanctions over British man detained in Dubai for 17 years
The group of 15 parliamentarians, led by Sir Iain Duncan Smith, said the case of Ryan Cornelius was a 'flagrant example of arbitrary detention and abuse of power' as they asked David Lammy to publicly call for his release. Mr Cornelius, now 71, was detained for 10 years in 2008 as part of a bank fraud case, and the detention was extended by 20 years in 2018. A UN working group has found he is subject to arbitrary detention and last week the European Parliament passed a resolution condemning his detention in 'inhumane conditions' and calling for his 'immediate and unconditional release'. After the European Parliament resolution, Sir Iain and his colleagues asked Mr Lammy to 'immediately clarify the Government's position on Mr Cornelius's case and confirm what steps you will now take to press for his release'. Specifically, they asked whether the Government would make 'strong representations to the UAE on his behalf', publicly call for his release and impose 'targeted' sanctions on those responsible for his detention. They said: 'The UK has a moral and legal duty to act, as well as a diplomatic responsibility to defend its citizens abroad from such mistreatment. 'We urge the Government to act with the utmost urgency to secure his release.' Sir Iain said it was 'vital' for the Government to take 'decisive action' to secure Mr Cornelius's release. Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer has previously said the Government would 'continue to highlight their concerns' in talks with the UAE and was providing Mr Cornelius with consular assistance, while it took reports of human rights violations 'very seriously'. But the UK's response to his detention has been criticised by Mr Cornelius's wife Heather and brother-in-law Chris Pagett. They said: 'For more than 17 years, we have had nothing but defensive waffle from the British Foreign Office. 'The European Parliament has made a strong and direct call to the UAE for Ryan's release within months of our taking his case to them. 'The contrast is shameful. The British people deserve better.' It is understood that the Government is supporting Mr Cornelius's application for clemency, and the issue was raised by the Foreign Secretary during a trip to the UAE in December last year.
