The Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, one of the sites where inmates were abused by US military personnel. US Army / AFP
The Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, one of the sites where inmates were abused by US military personnel. US Army / AFP
The Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, one of the sites where inmates were abused by US military personnel. US Army / AFP
The Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, one of the sites where inmates were abused by US military personnel. US Army / AFP

Deadlocked US jury in Abu Ghraib torture case told to continue deliberations


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A judge has ordered jurors to keep deliberating after they said they were deadlocked in a lawsuit alleging a Virginia-based military contractor is liable for abuse suffered by inmates at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq two decades ago.

The eight-person civil jury has deliberated for the equivalent of three full days in the civil suit in the US District Court in Alexandria.

The trial, which began April 15, is the first time a US jury has heard claims of mistreatment brought by survivors of Abu Ghraib.

Suhail Al Shimari, Asa'ad Zuba’e and Salah Al Ejaili, who were released without charge from Abu Ghraib in 2004, are seeking punitive damages from CACI Premier Technology.

Contractors employed by CACI are accused of torturing and abusing the men during their detention.

CACI supplied civilian contractors to work at Abu Ghraib as interrogators, in support of short-handed US soldiers.

Abuse of detainees at Abu Ghraib became a worldwide scandal 20 years ago when photos became public showing US soldiers smiling and laughing as they inflicted physical abuse on detainees.

The plaintiffs have argued at trial that CACI interrogators contributed to their mistreatment, even if they did not commit the abuses themselves, by conspiring with soldiers to mistreat inmates as a way to “soften them up” for questioning.

An artist's sketch of the trial in Virginia. Dana Verkouteren / AP
An artist's sketch of the trial in Virginia. Dana Verkouteren / AP

This suit was filed under the Alien Tort Statute, which gives federal courts jurisdiction over lawsuits filed by foreign citizens for acts committed in breach of international law.

On Friday, the jury sent out a note saying that they had extensively discussed the evidence but “are still not unanimous on anything”.

As is typical when a jury sends out such a note, US District Judge Leonie Brinkema told the jurors they must continue their deliberations.

Ms Brinkema sent them home early on Friday afternoon to resume deliberating on Monday.

During deliberations this week, the jury asked several questions about how to apply a legal principle known as the “borrowed servants” doctrine.

CACI, as one of its defences, has said it should not be liable for any misdeeds by its employees if they were under the control and direction of the army.

The plaintiffs' lawyers tried to bar CACI from making that argument at trial, but Ms Brinkema allowed the jury to consider it.

Both sides have argued about the scope of the doctrine.

Fundamentally, though, if CACI has proven that its interrogators were under the command and control of the army at the time any misconduct occurred, then the jury has been instructed to find in favour of CACI.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs introduced evidence including CACI’s contract with the army, which required the company to supervise its own employees.

Jurors also saw a section of the Army Field Manual that pertains to contractors and says that “only contractors may supervise and give direction to their employees”.

“This case is part of our effort to bring accountability for torture and other serious violations of international law arising out of the so-called war on terror and invasion of Iraq,” the Centre for Constitutional Rights, whose legal team is representing the Iraqi plaintiffs, said in a statement before the trial was due to begin.

“Our clients are Iraqi civilians who were ultimately released without ever being charged with a crime.

“They all continue to suffer from physical and mental injuries caused by the torture and other abuse they endured.”

Skoda Superb Specs

Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol

Power: 190hp

Torque: 320Nm

Price: From Dh147,000

Available: Now

Tree of Hell

Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

The biog

Favourite hobby: I love to sing but I don’t get to sing as much nowadays sadly.

Favourite book: Anything by Sidney Sheldon.

Favourite movie: The Exorcist 2. It is a big thing in our family to sit around together and watch horror movies, I love watching them.

Favourite holiday destination: The favourite place I have been to is Florence, it is a beautiful city. My dream though has always been to visit Cyprus, I really want to go there.

Anna and the Apocalypse

Director: John McPhail

Starring: Ella Hunt, Malcolm Cumming, Mark Benton

Three stars

Why it pays to compare

A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.

Route 1: bank transfer

The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.

Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount

Total received: €4,670.30 

Route 2: online platform

The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.

Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction

Total received: €4,756

The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.

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Two stars

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Timeline

2012-2015

The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East

May 2017

The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts

September 2021

Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act

October 2021

Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence 

December 2024

Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group

May 2025

The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan

July 2025

The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan

August 2025

Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision

October 2025

Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange

November 2025

180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE

Match info

Premier League

Manchester United 2 (Martial 30', Lingard 69')
Arsenal 2 (Mustafi 26', Rojo 68' OG)

New process leads to panic among jobseekers

As a UAE-based travel agent who processes tourist visas from the Philippines, Jennifer Pacia Gado is fielding a lot of calls from concerned travellers just now. And they are all asking the same question.  

“My clients are mostly Filipinos, and they [all want to know] about good conduct certificates,” says the 34-year-old Filipina, who has lived in the UAE for five years.

Ms Gado contacted the Philippines Embassy to get more information on the certificate so she can share it with her clients. She says many are worried about the process and associated costs – which could be as high as Dh500 to obtain and attest a good conduct certificate from the Philippines for jobseekers already living in the UAE. 

“They are worried about this because when they arrive here without the NBI [National Bureau of Investigation] clearance, it is a hassle because it takes time,” she says.

“They need to go first to the embassy to apply for the application of the NBI clearance. After that they have go to the police station [in the UAE] for the fingerprints. And then they will apply for the special power of attorney so that someone can finish the process in the Philippines. So it is a long process and more expensive if you are doing it from here.”

The most expensive investment mistake you will ever make

When is the best time to start saving in a pension? The answer is simple – at the earliest possible moment. The first pound, euro, dollar or dirham you invest is the most valuable, as it has so much longer to grow in value. If you start in your twenties, it could be invested for 40 years or more, which means you have decades for compound interest to work its magic.

“You get growth upon growth upon growth, followed by more growth. The earlier you start the process, the more it will all roll up,” says Chris Davies, chartered financial planner at The Fry Group in Dubai.

This table shows how much you would have in your pension at age 65, depending on when you start and how much you pay in (it assumes your investments grow 7 per cent a year after charges and you have no other savings).

Age

$250 a month

$500 a month

$1,000 a month

25

$640,829

$1,281,657

$2,563,315

35

$303,219

$606,439

$1,212,877

45

$131,596

$263,191

$526,382

55

$44,351

$88,702

$177,403

 

Updated: April 29, 2024, 8:00 PM