Briton 'wrongly jailed' in Dubai for £50m bad cheques

A London businessman jailed in Dubai after buying a man-made island in the shape of Britain is the victim of a miscarriage of justice, according to a former Scotland Yard officer.

Safi Qurashi, a Balham-born property developer, is serving seven years for bouncing £50 million of cheques after acting as a middle man in a separate property deal in the Arab emirate involving a Russian investor.

A review of the case by Tarique Ghaffur, a former Assistant Commissioner in the Met, says of Qurashi and two colleagues: "They stood little chance of proving their innocence particularly as the investigations and trials appeared so one-sided and biased.

"They have been the victim of circumstances brought on by the property recession, the actions of criminals and gross negligence by court officials."

Mr Ghaffur, hired by Qurashi's family, said the businessman had been "reckless" in his dealings in Dubai but called for a new inquiry by the emirate's authorities and British police.

Qurashi, 41, paid £43 million in 2008 for the British island in The World, a man-made archipelago off Dubai, where each piece of land represents a different country, state or city.