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Khaldoun Tabari, the former CEO of Dubai-based contractor Drake and Scull International (DSI), was arrested at Jordan’s Queen Alia International Airport in Amman on January 7, as he was catching a flight to the UK. The arrest came shortly after the UAE authorities issued an Interpol red notice seeking his apprehension over serious financial crimes.

Tabari’s arrest is part of a broader legal campaign by the UAE government and DSI’s current management to hold former executives accountable for what they allege was a decade-long scheme to misrepresent the company’s financial health, conceal losses, and divert funds for personal benefit.

Tabari’s arrest followed a January 7 Interpol red alert issued by the UAE. Tabari was supposed to appear before Abu Dhabi’s Public Funds Prosecution for criminal charges filed by DSI on misappropriation of funds and misusing powers as CEO. But he never came for the hearing, and a travel ban was imposed by UAE.

Tabari who has been arrested in Amman, has since been released on bail after surrendering his passport as a personal guarantee.

Tabari was the CEO of DSI from 1998 until 2016. As oil prices started plunging from more than $100 per barrel in September 2014 to below $30 by January 2016, the company started posting losses.

DSI has alleged that losses running into billions of dirhams were hidden from shareholders by the previous management between 2009 and 2017. The current management announced last year that accumulated losses had crossed more than 4 billion dirhams.

DSI had filed 15 criminal complaints against the previous management, board of directors and some of their family members. The complaints are still under investigation by the authorities.

The UAE is trying to extradite Tabari. Both the UAE and Jordan are signatory parties to the Riyadh Arab Convention on Judicial Co-operation. Jordan has requested the UAE to send files regarding the cases so as to review.

If extradited, Tabari could face a minimum of 15 years in prison, he said.

The private investor who brought the India based firm Sun and Sand Inc. to Guyana’s shores, with hopes of successfully having their joint venture into the mining sector realized, is now suing the company for US$38M (equivalent to $7.7B,) for not honouring its end of the bargain.

Sun and Sand Inc., owned by Rajesh Satija and managed by Company Secretary Bhushan Kumar, was brought to Guyana in 2012 by Garfield Harte, a local investor who travels often. His Power of Attorney is Beverley Barker of Lot 8 Middle Walk, Victoria, East Coast Demerara. Harte owns three mining blocks in Cuyuni Mining District each valuing in excess of $168M. Based on a survey conducted, the mineral concentration of the blocks is expected to be over and above 26.6 tons of placer gold and 265,423 tons of quarts gold. The total income was estimated at US$17, 811, 279M.

With this in mind, Harte and the members of the India-based company, had several discussions, and decided that if they pooled their resources, a joint project in Guyana’s mineral sector would prove to be lucrative.

When they arrived in Guyana, the joint venture company, Sun and Sand Mining Resources Inc was incorporated by Harte’s lawyer, Joseph Harmon. The company has an office at Lot 288 Atlantic Gardens, East Coast Demerara.

The Agreement which they entered into in August 2012 said that Harte’s interior properties would be explored, minerals extracted and sold, and 18 percent of the profits would be given to him.

According to Clause Four of the Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) signed by the two partners, under the caption Commencement, a number of things were to be executed and completed by Sun and Sand Mining Inc. It was required to get a Purchase Contract for processing plants for all three blocks, in Bangkok by the end of August 2012, build camps and commence exploration in the first block of land by September –November 2012, complete exploration in all the three blocks by April, 2013 and commence production by April 2013.

Harte fulfilled all his obligations under the said agreement. He was required to get all equipment for the commencement of operation and did so. In fact, all the equipment has been in Guyana for in excess of one year. There has been no exploration or production by the Sun and Sand Mining Company in this venture.Clause Seven of the JVA stipulated the percentage of the profits which should be had by Harte.

In breach of Clause Four and Seven of the JVA, Harte claims that the defendant, has failed, refused and or neglected to make payments in the sum of 18 percent which is equivalent to $7.7B had the JVA been carried through.

The investor said he attempted in several instances to make contact with the Company but was unable to reach them.

He was later surprised to learn that the Company teamed up with the government and local construction giant, BK International, to construct a US$54M five star hotel and casino on July 9. The hotel is still to be constructed even after the stakeholders involved announced that construction would begin within a week’s time after a grand launch in July.

Harte was also baffled when he discovered that his JVA partner obtained two prospecting licences from Manager of BK International, Brian Tiwarie.

With strong suspicion that the JVA may be doomed for failure before it even gets started, Harte decided to take legal recourse to recoup the billions in losses incurred.

Court documents revealed that Harte’s Power of Attorney brought the legal action against the Sun and San Company Secretary. The matter is expected to be heard before Commercial Court Judge, Rishi Persaud.

The Power of Attorney, Barker, also filed for an interim injunction against the company stakeholders and owners.

After noting the newspaper articles which showed that the Sun and Sand Company developed other “business interests,” she believes that they are likely to sell, mortgage or otherwise part with three super miners with CD with hydrocuclone, one bulldozer, one excavator, and one bush truck all acquired by Harte to satisfy other obligations connected with their new business venture.

The house that inspired Toad Hall in the book The Wind In The Willows is at the centre of a £5m High Court dispute.

Fawley Court, near Henley in Oxfordshire, was the home of the Catholic Marian Fathers for 55 years.

When it was put up for sale in 2008 the winning bid was by property developer Richard Butler-Creagh at £22.5m.

But he let property investor Aida Hersham buy it instead for £13m and Mr Butler-Creagh now claims she owes him £5m for "facilitating" the sale.

Chapel and stables

Mr Butler-Creagh, of Colmore Lane, Henley, claims he agreed to walk away and let Ms Hersham "step into his shoes" and take over his interest for a "facilitating" fee of £5m, due upon completion in April 2010.

But Ms Hersham, of London's Eaton Square, denies there was any such agreement.

She says there was an understanding that Mr Butler-Creagh would get something if a profit of £32m was achieved on any future sale of the 17th Century house.

Fawley Court has a sweeping River Thames frontage and several acres of gardens designed by Capability Brown.

It was the inspiration for the home of Mr Toad in Kenneth Grahame's classic book.

Mr Butler-Creagh's counsel James Lewis QC, told Mr Justice Eady sitting in London that the property, with its listed chapel and stables, was famed for "its exceptional quality and uniqueness" and was widely attributed to Sir Christopher Wren.

Met at hotel

He said: "It would be very unlikely that a person such as Mr Butler-Creagh would have given up his position or allowed someone to just take it over without agreeing a fee for doing so.

"So, we can safely take it that something must have been agreed, although Aida Hersham says nothing was agreed."

He added that the position claimed by Ms Hersham did not "fit well" with the contemporaneous and other accompanying documents.

Mr Butler-Creagh claimed he had met Ms Hersham at Hotel du Vin in Henley in October 2008 and they later spoke on the phone making an oral agreement to pay the fee, which he informed his solicitor about.