Brussels (Brussels Morning) – In recent years, major drug bosses have been able to buy, rent and sell villas and apartments in Dubai undisturbed, making millions in profits. Even if they are wanted or prosecuted by Belgium, or have already been convicted. This is evident from research by De Tijd, Knack and Le Soir together with the OCCRP collective, the non-profit organization C4ADS and more than 70 other media in the world into a mass of leaked real estate data.
How many properties in Dubai were purchased by fugitive drug bosses and their relatives?
The investigation shows how 53 properties in Dubai, part of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have been purchased in recent years by ten fugitive drug bosses and four relatives of cocaine kingpins whom Belgium has in its sights, although Belgium has joined the UAE for several of has already asked in vain to extradite them. Six out of ten drug criminals have already been convicted (in absentia) in Belgium. At the request of our country, three of them are also on the American sanctions list of the Office of Foreign Assets Control.
Which district in Dubai appears to be popular among Belgian suspects?
28 of the 53 properties are in Marsa Dubai, apparently the most popular district among Belgian suspects and criminals. In some apartment buildings, several suspects or criminals have an apartment, such as in The Address Sky View Tower, The Residences at Marina Gate 1 and Jumeirah Gate Tower 2.
How much rental income did these wanted individuals collect in Dubai?
The research shows that those involved in Dubai were not prevented from renting out their properties. While they were wanted by Belgium, they were able to collect almost 3 million euros in rental income together.
In mid-March, Minister of Justice Paul Van Tigchelt (Open VLD) flew to Abu Dhabi for a meeting with his colleague in the United Arab Emirates. They discussed, among other things, the seizure of property, a new step in cooperation between the two countries.
“This cooperation in the field of attachment and confiscation is new. The federal public prosecutor’s office and the Antwerp public prosecutor’s office are requesting this. We have also already identified a number of issues. We have not yet sent specific questions for seizures, but it is coming,” the minister responds.
What previous reports have highlighted concerning links between Belgium and Dubai’s property market?
Moreover, in 2018 a report also revealed worrying links between the Belgian criminal underworld and the Dubai property market. In total, 745 Belgians possess a total of 1,511 properties in Dubai, according to analysis of the C4ADS data by the EU Tax Observatory. De Tijd’s analysis of the data has turned up other interesting findings.
In the majority of cases, possessions in Dubai are legally held by ordinary private citizens, from Belgium’s successful and wealthy business elite. In other cases, the assets are a lot more shady. The most expensive possessions held by a Belgian, worth around $4.9 million and traversing a vast 1,245 square metres on the city’s iconic man-made Palm Jumeirah islands, is possessed by a man convicted of money laundering in Belgium just a few years ago. This individual is registered to hold 9 properties in the city.
Who are some notable Belgian property owners in Dubai, and what are their backgrounds?
The largest Belgian proprietor of property in Dubai, who owns some 80 assets, is the son of a sentenced fraudster. One Belgian, the owner of a bankrupt pizza shop, somehow now holds seven high-value Dubai residences, De Tijd notes.
