A British tourist who racked up Dh175,000 in speeding fines in a rented Lamborghini after triggering every radar on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai has arrived back home in Wales.
Farah Hashi, 25, amassed 33 speeding fines in four hours after renting the Dh1.3 million Lamborghini Huracan supercar while on holiday in Dubai last month.
Mr Hashi eventually reached an agreement with police and the car rental agency to pay Dh117,000 and thought he could return to South Wales.
But the car hire company, Saeed Ali Rent a Car, demanded that he pay an additional Dh50,000 to cover the cost of the rental while the car was parked outside the tourist’s hotel, the luxury Five hotel in Dubai's Palm Jumeirah, during the dispute over the speeding fines.
The company raised a police case against Mr Hashi, preventing him from leaving the UAE until he settled the debt.
He was arrested while trying to leave the UAE with his brother, Adman Hashi, according to the BBC, and spent two weeks under house arrest.
However, he finally flew home last weekend.
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The speeding tourist:
Exclusive: Dubai tourist who racked up Dh175,000 in fines finally pays speeding tickets
Dubai tourist rents Dh1.3m Lamborghini and racks up Dh175,000 in fines in four hours
Found: Lamborghini at centre of British tourist's Dh170,000 speeding fines
Stand-off continues in case of British tourist who racked up Dh170,000 in fines
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"Farah is now home," Mr Adman, 50, told the BBC.
During the dispute Mohammed Ibrahim, 36, who runs Saeed Ali Rent a Car, told The National he would not let the outstanding amount go unpaid.
“I lost money when the vehicle spent several days parked in front of the hotel,” said Mr Ibrahim.
“He rented the car for three days and returned it after 16 days. Renting such a vehicle costs Dh3,500 per day.”
A spokesperson for the company told The National that Mr Hashi had settled the debt.
"He didn't pay Dh50,000. I gave him a discount on the rental. We tried to figure out everything, sort it out with him nicely and let him go," he said.
The dealership did not disclose a figure for the discount.
A new Lamborghini Huracan 2018 model costs between Dh900,000 to Dh1.5million in the UAE, according to the DriveArabia website. It can reach speeds of up to 330kph.
Radar traps had registered Mr Hashi as driving up to 230kph – nearly twice the permitted speed limit.
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20myZoi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Syed%20Ali%2C%20Christian%20Buchholz%2C%20Shanawaz%20Rouf%2C%20Arsalan%20Siddiqui%2C%20Nabid%20Hassan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2037%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Initial%20undisclosed%20funding%20from%20SC%20Ventures%3B%20second%20round%20of%20funding%20totalling%20%2414%20million%20from%20a%20consortium%20of%20SBI%2C%20a%20Japanese%20VC%20firm%2C%20and%20SC%20Venture%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
The biog
DOB: 25/12/92
Marital status: Single
Education: Post-graduate diploma in UAE Diplomacy and External Affairs at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy in Abu Dhabi
Hobbies: I love fencing, I used to fence at the MK Fencing Academy but I want to start again. I also love reading and writing
Lifelong goal: My dream is to be a state minister
Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
About RuPay
A homegrown card payment scheme launched by the National Payments Corporation of India and backed by the Reserve Bank of India, the country’s central bank
RuPay process payments between banks and merchants for purchases made with credit or debit cards
It has grown rapidly in India and competes with global payment network firms like MasterCard and Visa.
In India, it can be used at ATMs, for online payments and variations of the card can be used to pay for bus, metro charges, road toll payments
The name blends two words rupee and payment
Some advantages of the network include lower processing fees and transaction costs
Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
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Available: Now
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
