Damac said Egypt's public prosecutor had filed "spurious charges" against Hussain Sajwani. Pawan Singh / The National
Damac said Egypt's public prosecutor had filed "spurious charges" against Hussain Sajwani. Pawan Singh / The National
Damac said Egypt's public prosecutor had filed "spurious charges" against Hussain Sajwani. Pawan Singh / The National
Damac said Egypt's public prosecutor had filed "spurious charges" against Hussain Sajwani. Pawan Singh / The National

Damac to fight Cairo conviction


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Damac Properties, one of Dubai's largest developers, said it would fight the conviction of its chairman on corruption charges by filing a case with the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (Icsid).

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The company said Egypt's public prosecutor had filed "spurious charges" against Hussain Sajwani on the basis of a 2006 deal to buy 3,000 hectares of land in Gamsha Bay near the Red Sea with the former tourism minister Zuhair Garranah.

Mr Garranah, Mr Sajwani and another businessman, Hisham al Hazeq, were sentenced by an Egyptian court on Monday. Mr Sajwani was sentenced to five years' jail, fined 242 million Egyptian pounds (Dh149.5m) and ordered to return land to the Egyptian government.

Mr Sajwani was convicted "in absentia" because he was not present for the trial in Egypt.

"As the prosecution and conviction of Mr Sajwani were totally improper, the sentence, fine, order to return the Gamsha Bay land to the state and Interpol arrest request constitute a breach of the bilateral investment treaty between Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, whose purpose is to protect investments of UAE investors in Egypt," Damac said in a statement yesterday.

The trial was the latest in a string of corruption cases in Egypt that came after the popular protests that began on January 25 and led to the resignation of Hosni Mubarak as president in February. Hundreds of charges have been filed against politicians and businessmen.

Mr Mubarak is facing corruption charges, which he has denied. Other prominent businessmen, including the steel tycoon Ahmed Ezz, have been arrested and are awaiting trial.

Icsid, where Damac says it will file an arbitration claim, is affiliated with the World Bank and is based in Washington DC. It is an autonomous body set up to solve investment disputes across borders.

Damac alleged yesterday "the Arab Republic of Egypt is responsible for a series of blatant violations of the 1997 bilateral investment treaty between the UAE and Egypt".

Mr Sajwani and Damac were "implicated by association in Egypt's ongoing efforts to criminally prosecute and convict former members of Mubarak's government", Damac said.

The company said there was no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of Mr Sajwani and that the judgment was "politically motivated" as part of a "campaign of persecution" against businessmen who did deals with the former government.

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'The worst thing you can eat'

Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.

Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines: 

Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.

Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.

Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.

Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.

Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

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Power: 360bhp

Torque: 500Nm

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

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German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
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Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

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Day 2 at the Gabba

Australia 312-1 

Warner 151 not out, Burns 97,  Labuschagne 55 not out

Pakistan 240 

Shafiq 76, Starc 4-52

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Most countries now actively want a weak currency to make their exports more competitive. “China seems happy to let the renminbi drift lower, the Swiss are still running quantitative easing at full tilt and central bankers everywhere are actively talking down their currencies or offering only limited support," says Mr Mould.

This is a race to the bottom, and everybody wants to be a winner.

Our family matters legal consultant

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GAC GS8 Specs

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Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

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Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

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Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

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Uefa Champions League final:

Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
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Despacito's dominance in numbers

Released: 2017

Peak chart position: No.1 in more than 47 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Lebanon

Views: 5.3 billion on YouTube

Sales: With 10 million downloads in the US, Despacito became the first Latin single to receive Diamond sales certification

Streams: 1.3 billion combined audio and video by the end of 2017, making it the biggest digital hit of the year.

Awards: 17, including Record of the Year at last year’s prestigious Latin Grammy Awards, as well as five Billboard Music Awards

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING

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Inspiration: Wife and kids 

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Indika
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THE SPECS

Jaguar F-Pace SVR

Engine: 5-litre supercharged V8​​​​​​​

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Power: 542bhp​​​​​​​

Torque: 680Nm​​​​​​​

Price: Dh465,071

UAE SQUAD

Ahmed Raza (Captain), Rohan Mustafa, Jonathan Figy, CP Rizwan, Junaid Siddique, Mohammad Usman, Basil Hameed, Zawar Farid, Vriitya Aravind (WK), Waheed Ahmed, Karthik Meiyappan, Zahoor Khan, Darius D'Silva, Chirag Suri

Groom and Two Brides

Director: Elie Semaan

Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla

Rating: 3/5

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Part three: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate 

Emergency

Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5