on March 3rd, 2010
Beyond the glitz and glamour, underworld deals and meetings are arranged in the emirate.
Dubai, with its glamour and glitz, is often described as Las Vegas without the gambling.
But the Middle East's answer to "sin city" has a sinister side rarely found in Nevada.
Afghan drug runners, Russian mafia and Somali pirates are just a few of the shady groups believed to be contributing to a reputation that most in Dubai prefer to ignore.
An assassination, suspected to be the work of the Mossad Israeli spy agency, may be what is making news at the moment but one does not have to dig deep to unearth many more examples of Dubai's secret seedy underbelly.
Although occurrence of petty crime is negligible and it is much safer to walk around at night than many cities of similar size, Dubai is gaining a reputation as a place to exterminate one's enemies - and get away with it.
The murder in January of top Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh was not the first time Dubai was chosen as the venue for assassination.
Chechen assassination
In March 2009, a former Chechen rebel-turned-Russian-war-hero was killed at another luxurious Dubai address.
Sulim Yamadayev was shot in the back of the head with a gold-plated gun in the basement of the Jumeirah Beach Residences where he lived with his wife and six children.
At the time, Dubai's Police Chief Lieutenant-General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim said his city would not become a venue for "Chechen dirty payback" and demanded that Russia "control these killers from Chechnya".
Two men are currently facing trial for aiding and abetting the assassination but Yamadayev's killers are still free.
The Kremlin refuses to extradite seven Russian citizens - one of whom is a member of the Russian Parliament - wanted for questioning in the case. It is a scenario likely to be faced again if the 26 suspects in the al-Mabhouh murder are ever found, ensuring that Dubai's reputation for liquidations remains intact.
"There is an image problem definitely and I think its part of what I would call celebratory tax," says Habib al-Mulla, one of the United Arab Emirates top lawyers well-versed in Dubai's criminal history, and a former government spokesperson.
"When you become a superstar it's obvious that you will have critics," he adds in reference to the harsh treatment his home city receives from many corners of the media, especially in British tabloids where truth apparently does not get in the way of some good old-fashioned "Dubai bashing."
Call for transparency
In 2001, US media cited Washington reports that much of the money spent to finance the September 11 attacks had transited from Pakistan via Dubai.
The following year, the UAE passed a restrictive anti-money laundering law which would impose prison sentences and hefty fines.
Nevertheless, reports surfaced in 2008 that Somali pirates had laundered ransom money for seized ships in the Gulf of Aden through Dubai.
UAE authorities are often tight-lipped about such cases, which does little to aid their cause.
The UAE Central Bank vehemently denies that Dubai is a haven for money laundering.
Despite months of requests to film or interview anyone associated with its anti-money laundering unit, the UAE has never granted Al Jazeera access.
But al-Mulla believes that Dubai's decision to make public, comprehensive surveillance footage of the 26 European and Australian passport holders in the Mabhouh investigation may be a step in the right direction.
"The action Dubai police have taken is a very clear example that Dubai is becoming mature, they are learning how to deal with these issues," he said.
"The fact that they have revealed and exposed all the facts before the international media is a strong and great achievement and will lift the level of security here because people will think twice before they commit a crime in Dubai anymore."
But it's not just assassinations and money laundering affecting Dubai's reputation.
Afghanistan's opium kings, Somalia's pirates and Iranian and Indian mafia are all believed to use Dubai as a key staging post for their illicit activities.
Dirty money?
In a report on Afghanistan's opium trade, a senior UN official in Kabul said "the favourite hidey-hole for money was Dubai."
The report, which was commissioned by the US Senate's Committee on Foreign Relations, also states that UAE authorities have intercepted couriers arriving at Dubai airport from Afghanistan with "millions of dollars in suitcases".
The general policy in Dubai, however, has been that "couriers are simply required to declare the cash and allowed to move on."
Titled Afghanistan's narco war: Breaking the link between drug traffickers and insurgents, the report goes on to say the US offered help in training inspectors at Dubai airport to "spot suspicious couriers but the effort was blocked by the UAE Central Bank".
Open for business
Christopher Davidson, a policy expert on Gulf monarchies and the author of four books on the UAE, says Dubai's historical role as the Middle East's free port opens it up to a raft of shady dealings.
"With scarce natural resources and no hinterland, Dubai has survived as being the most open and attractive place to do business," Davidson said.
"And that means all kinds of business, from the smuggling of goods into India in the 1950s to full blown Mafia activity and money-laundering today."
According to Davidson, the Dubai World debt debacle and plunging real estate prices will bring its traditional role as a free port back to the fore.
"Despite recent protests about passport security, the emirate will continue to be the easiest place in the region to clean dirty laundry," he said.
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/middle-east/2010/03/03/dubai-attracting-illegal-trade
Beyond the glitz and glamour, underworld deals and meetings are arranged in the emirate.
Dubai, with its glamour and glitz, is often described as Las Vegas without the gambling.
But the Middle East's answer to "sin city" has a sinister side rarely found in Nevada.
Afghan drug runners, Russian mafia and Somali pirates are just a few of the shady groups believed to be contributing to a reputation that most in Dubai prefer to ignore.
An assassination, suspected to be the work of the Mossad Israeli spy agency, may be what is making news at the moment but one does not have to dig deep to unearth many more examples of Dubai's secret seedy underbelly.
Although occurrence of petty crime is negligible and it is much safer to walk around at night than many cities of similar size, Dubai is gaining a reputation as a place to exterminate one's enemies - and get away with it.
The murder in January of top Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh was not the first time Dubai was chosen as the venue for assassination.
Chechen assassination
In March 2009, a former Chechen rebel-turned-Russian-war-hero was killed at another luxurious Dubai address.
Sulim Yamadayev was shot in the back of the head with a gold-plated gun in the basement of the Jumeirah Beach Residences where he lived with his wife and six children.
At the time, Dubai's Police Chief Lieutenant-General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim said his city would not become a venue for "Chechen dirty payback" and demanded that Russia "control these killers from Chechnya".
Two men are currently facing trial for aiding and abetting the assassination but Yamadayev's killers are still free.
The Kremlin refuses to extradite seven Russian citizens - one of whom is a member of the Russian Parliament - wanted for questioning in the case. It is a scenario likely to be faced again if the 26 suspects in the al-Mabhouh murder are ever found, ensuring that Dubai's reputation for liquidations remains intact.
"There is an image problem definitely and I think its part of what I would call celebratory tax," says Habib al-Mulla, one of the United Arab Emirates top lawyers well-versed in Dubai's criminal history, and a former government spokesperson.
"When you become a superstar it's obvious that you will have critics," he adds in reference to the harsh treatment his home city receives from many corners of the media, especially in British tabloids where truth apparently does not get in the way of some good old-fashioned "Dubai bashing."
Call for transparency
In 2001, US media cited Washington reports that much of the money spent to finance the September 11 attacks had transited from Pakistan via Dubai.
The following year, the UAE passed a restrictive anti-money laundering law which would impose prison sentences and hefty fines.
Nevertheless, reports surfaced in 2008 that Somali pirates had laundered ransom money for seized ships in the Gulf of Aden through Dubai.
UAE authorities are often tight-lipped about such cases, which does little to aid their cause.
The UAE Central Bank vehemently denies that Dubai is a haven for money laundering.
Despite months of requests to film or interview anyone associated with its anti-money laundering unit, the UAE has never granted Al Jazeera access.
But al-Mulla believes that Dubai's decision to make public, comprehensive surveillance footage of the 26 European and Australian passport holders in the Mabhouh investigation may be a step in the right direction.
"The action Dubai police have taken is a very clear example that Dubai is becoming mature, they are learning how to deal with these issues," he said.
"The fact that they have revealed and exposed all the facts before the international media is a strong and great achievement and will lift the level of security here because people will think twice before they commit a crime in Dubai anymore."
But it's not just assassinations and money laundering affecting Dubai's reputation.
Afghanistan's opium kings, Somalia's pirates and Iranian and Indian mafia are all believed to use Dubai as a key staging post for their illicit activities.
Dirty money?
In a report on Afghanistan's opium trade, a senior UN official in Kabul said "the favourite hidey-hole for money was Dubai."
The report, which was commissioned by the US Senate's Committee on Foreign Relations, also states that UAE authorities have intercepted couriers arriving at Dubai airport from Afghanistan with "millions of dollars in suitcases".
The general policy in Dubai, however, has been that "couriers are simply required to declare the cash and allowed to move on."
Titled Afghanistan's narco war: Breaking the link between drug traffickers and insurgents, the report goes on to say the US offered help in training inspectors at Dubai airport to "spot suspicious couriers but the effort was blocked by the UAE Central Bank".
Open for business
Christopher Davidson, a policy expert on Gulf monarchies and the author of four books on the UAE, says Dubai's historical role as the Middle East's free port opens it up to a raft of shady dealings.
"With scarce natural resources and no hinterland, Dubai has survived as being the most open and attractive place to do business," Davidson said.
"And that means all kinds of business, from the smuggling of goods into India in the 1950s to full blown Mafia activity and money-laundering today."
According to Davidson, the Dubai World debt debacle and plunging real estate prices will bring its traditional role as a free port back to the fore.
"Despite recent protests about passport security, the emirate will continue to be the easiest place in the region to clean dirty laundry," he said.
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/middle-east/2010/03/03/dubai-attracting-illegal-trade
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