AL AIN // A man has been arrested on suspicion of killing his ex-fiancee.
The body of Iman Abu Khatila, a 21-year-old Palestinian, was found on Sunday buried in the desert, a few days after she was reported missing. She had been stabbed four times in the chest.
Police arrested her ex-fiance, also a 21-year-old Palestinian, near Al Halami Centre on Sunday night following what they described as a high-speed car chase.
Ms Abu Khatila's family reported her missing on Friday after she failed to return to her home in the Markhaniya District on Thursday.
Brig Gen Hamad Ajlan Al Amimi, the head of the Al Ain Police, said: "Interviews with her family and co-workers led the police to suspect her ex-fiance was involved."
The man has been referred to the public prosecution on charges of killing Ms Abu Khatila. Police said he initially denied having anything to do with the death, but later confessed following interrogation.
"The suspect said that his relationship with the victim continued even after their engagement ended because her family didn't want her to marry him," Brig Gen Al Amimi said. "The suspect said that since he couldn't have her, he decided to kill her.
"The suspect said he had rented a car from one of the Al Ain rental agencies and picked up the victim. He then took her out to the desert, where he said that he killed her and buried her in the sand."
According to police, the man then took them to the spot where the killing took place. Ms Abu Khatila's body was recovered and a post-mortem was performed yesterday at Al Ain Hospital.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
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The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity