Dr Khater Massaad responds to the spurious and unsubstantiated allegations made by RAK Investment Authority

In response to the media release put out by the 'Ras Al-Khaimah press office' on 1(st) August which made a number of spurious and false allegations, a spokesman for Dr Khater Massaad, the Head of Star Industrial Holding Ltd (SIH), said: "Dr Khater Massaad completely refutes these spurious and unsubstantiated accusations...

In response to the media release put out by the 'Ras Al-Khaimah press office' on 1^st August which made a number of spurious and false allegations, a spokesman for Dr Khater Massaad, the Head of Star Industrial Holding Ltd (SIH), said:

 

"Dr Khater Massaad completely refutes these spurious and unsubstantiated accusations. There is little, if any, due and proper legal process being carried out and this is nothing more than a judicial inquiry by a grandstanding press release."

 

"Indeed, Dr Massaad is owed substantial remuneration for the role he played in turning the Ras Al-Khaimah Investment Authority ('RAKIA') into a wealth creation vehicle for an Emirate which has no energy resources. He began advising Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, when he was the Crown Prince, in 2003 and turned RAKIA into the leading regional industrial free zone until his enforced departure in 2012.

 

"Dr Massaad is still owed significant remuneration for creating this success and it is this which is believed to have initiated the various legal actions from those claiming to act on behalf of the Sheikh.

 

"Furthermore, it is worth noting the allegations in the release of 1 August are unattributed to anyone such as a prosecutor from the State of Ras Al-Khaimah, and nor were they made by the Government itself. As a consequence of the media release of 1 August, Dr Massaad has begun discussions with his legal team about the serious defamation to his character both as an individual and a businessman.

 

"All recent legal attempts to date by RAKIA against Dr Massaad have failed and been denied by several courts across a number of international jurisdictions; the only partial success has been by extracting a confession from another individual after holding him for over a year without a trial in a private prison. This was a fundamental breach of not just international human rights but even the criminal law in Ras Al-Khaimah and is indicative of the approach they are taking. 

 

"Unlike most jurisdictions, it is widely acknowledged that there is no true separation of power within the legal system of Ras Al-Khaimah which allows vexatious claims and allegations to be made by executives and agents purportedly working on behalf of Sheikh Saud.

 

"The lack of any separation of powers in Ras Al-Khaimah is the subject of independent UN Reports including that of the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers by Gabriela Knaul (Mission to the United Arab Emirates, 5 May 2015 - A/HRC/29/26/Add.2) as well as an independent legal study by Eversheds, the international law firm.

ENDS

 

For further information:

 

Adrian Flook, CTF Communications [email protected]

 

 

 

Copyright GlobeNewswire


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