Dubai’s highest judicial authority has delivered a significant ruling in one of the emirate’s most substantial money laundering investigations, partially modifying the financial penalties while maintaining core criminal sanctions against convicted individuals.
The Court of Cassation has annulled a previously imposed Dh150 million (approximately $40.8 million) joint fine against Indian businessman Balvinder Singh Sahni, widely known as Abu Sabah. The judicial body substituted the monetary penalty with comprehensive confiscation of all funds connected to the criminal enterprise. This decision represents a notable adjustment to the financial consequences of the case while preserving the fundamental punitive measures.
The court simultaneously affirmed multiple other components of the verdict, including Sahni’s five-year incarceration period, an individual Dh500,000 fine, seizure of illegally obtained assets, and subsequent deportation following sentence completion. The ruling also maintained convictions and penalties for additional defendants implicated in the sophisticated operation that utilized Bitcoin and advanced digital methodologies to conceal criminal proceeds.
Court documentation reveals the operation involved a meticulously organized criminal network coordinating activities both within and beyond UAE borders in association with European organized crime syndicates. The organization employed an elaborate framework of shell companies, suspicious financial transactions, and digital wallet technologies to transfer illicit funds internationally.
Forensic investigation established that the network laundered approximately Dh180 million through cryptocurrency platforms and informal banking channels. One female accomplice was found to have acquired luxury properties and vehicles valued at Dh7.4 million utilizing these illegally obtained funds.
The original prosecution encompassed thirty-three defendants, with proceedings commencing in January 2024 following a Dubai Police investigation initiated the previous month. While several defendants raised procedural objections regarding arrest protocols and translation services, appellate courts consistently dismissed these challenges, affirming that substantial evidence demonstrated organized money laundering activities rather than mere unlicensed cryptocurrency trading.
Sahni, a 53-year-old property management executive with international business operations, previously gained public notoriety for his extravagant lifestyle, most notably purchasing the distinctive vehicle registration number “5” for Dh33 million at a 2016 auction.