Ben Keith of 5 St Andrew's Hill, alongside Rhys Davies of Temple Garden Chambers, has secured a finding from the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention that UK national Charles Ridley has been arbitrarily detained in the UAE for 17 years.
The UN Working Group, established by the Commission on Human Rights to investigate cases of unlawful detention, has ruled that Mr. Ridley's detention is arbitrary and violates articles 9, 10, and 11 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Working Group concluded that his detention falls within Categories I and III, finding no legal basis for his continued imprisonment and identifying serious violations of due process and fair trial rights. The UAE authorities applied Law No. 37 of 2009 retroactively to Mr. Ridley, punishing him under legislation that came into force in December 2009 for alleged offences occurring years before the law came into effect.
Mr. Ridley, a British businessman, was arrested in May 2008 during a visit to Dubai. In 2011, following a flawed trial, he was convicted of fraud offences and sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment plus a $500 million fine. He completed his sentence in November 2015 but was not released. In May 2018, years after serving his full sentence, he was brought before a judge and subjected to an additional 20-year detention period under Law No. 37 of 2009. He was given no prior notice of this hearing, denied the right to make submissions, and his legal counsel was prevented from speaking.
The Working Group has called on the UAE to release Mr. Ridley immediately and accord him an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations in accordance with international law. It has urged the government to ensure a full and independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding his arbitrary detention and to take appropriate measures against those responsible for the violation of his rights. The UAE government was given the opportunity to respond by the United Nations but declined to do so.
Ben Keith commented:
"The UN's findings are clear and comprehensive. Mr. Ridley has been imprisoned for 17 years, with the last decade having no lawful basis whatsoever. The UAE's refusal to even respond to the UN's inquiries speaks volumes. The international community must now exert pressure to secure his immediate release."
Ben Keith is a leading barrister specialising in cross-border and international cases. He deals with all aspects of extradition, immigration, human rights, mutual legal assistance, Interpol, financial crime and international law, including sanctions. He represents governments, political and military leaders, high net worth individuals, human rights defenders and business leaders in the most sensitive cases. He is a leading authority on the removal of Interpol Red Notices for worldwide clients. He edits the Red Notice Monitor blog.
Ben has extensive experience of appellate proceedings before the Administrative and Divisional Courts, Civil and Criminal Divisions of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court as well as applications and appeals to the European Court of Human Rights and the United Nations.
Ben has significant expertise in post-soviet states, as well the Middle East and the Far East.
He is ranked in Chambers and Partners as a star leader in the field of extradition at the London Bar and in The Legal 500 as a Tier 1 leading individual in extradition. Ben is also ranked in Chambers and Partners in the field of immigration and in its Financial Crime: High Net Worth Individuals rankings. He is recognised in The Spears’ 500 2024 Guide as a ‘Recommended Immigration Law Barrister’.
