7 hours ago
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Dubai:
Dubai-based Indian businessman Balvinder Singh Sahni will be jailed and deported from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for financial crimes, including money laundering. Also known as Abu Sabah, the billionaire received a five-year prison sentence and a Dh500,000 (Rs 1,14,89,750) fine. A Dubai court also ordered the confiscation of Dh150 million (Rs 3,446 million) from the businessman before he is deported from the country.
A well-known name in Dubai's elite circles, Sahni has been convicted of laundering Dh150 million through a network of shell companies and forged invoices, according to a report by Gulf News.
The businessman was convicted along with 33 others, including his son, reported Khaleej Times.
Who Is Balvinder Singh Sahni
The 53-year-old businessman is the founder and chairman of the Raj Sahni Group (RSG) property development firm, which operates in the UAE, the US, India, and other countries. Per media reports, his company's Dubai property portfolio includes the Qasr Sabah's residential buildings in Dubai Sports City, a 24-storey Burj Sabah apartment complex in Jumeirah Village Circle, commercial property in Bay Square, Business Bay and a five-star hotel called Sabah Dubai, among others.
A well-connected name in Dubai's elite circle. Sahni is known to be a luxury car collector and often posts his expensive vehicles on social media. He made headlines in 2016 after he purchased car number plate D5 for Dh33 million (about $9 million at the time) for one of his Rolls-Royce cars.
Often seen wearing his distinctive royal blue kandura, baseball cap and matching trainers, Sahni has around 3.3 million followers on Instagram.
Case Against Sahni
The case against Sahni and other defendants was initially filed at the Bur Dubai Police Station in 2024 and was later transferred to the Public Prosecution. Probe against them found extensive financial data and business links both within the UAE and abroad.
In its ruling last Friday, Dubai's Fourth Criminal Court convicted Sahni, along with other defendants, of operating a sophisticated money laundering network using shell companies and suspicious financial transactions.
The court ordered Sahni to pay a fine of Dh 500,000 and to forfeit assets worth Dh 150 million, believed to be proceeds of the illegal activity.
The court also ordered his deportation upon completing the sentence. Reports said some defendants were tried in absentia. Several received lighter penalties, including one-year jail terms and fines of AED 200,000, while three companies were each fined AED 50 million.
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