DUBAI // The Emirati sponsor of two Dubai-based estate agencies that have scammed potentially thousands of landlords of up to Dh80 million said he is "not at fault" in the matter.
Hareb Al Neaimi has spoken out for the first time about the scam involving Marks Falcon Real Estate and FHS Properties. He said he was unaware of what was going on until it was too late. "Everyone knows me. I didn't cheat anyone."
Thousands of tenants and landlords have been left in limbo after the two companies' owners, Faisal Sulehri and Muhammad Zubair, fled the country with the rent money, according to insiders.
The Pakistani pair, who handled properties in Dubai Marina, Bur Dubai, International City, Jumeirah Beach Residence, Palm Jumeirah and The Springs, had been accepting one below-market-value cheque from tenants for properties and telling owners that they would give them a higher price in four cheques.
They ran away with at least half a year's rent for each property involved, leaving landlords with bounced cheques.
The Real Estate Regulatory Agency (Rera) said it had frozen Marks Falcon's activities and fined the firm over complaints received.
Repeated calls to the Marks Falcon office in Sama Tower, Downtown Dubai, were not answered.
Action has yet to be taken on FHS, though its office has closed.
Mr Al Neaimi, who works for the Dubai immigration department, said on Tuesday that he had tried to cancel the pair's power of attorney but he was not allowed to because the bank required their passports. "How can I give the bank passports when they have left the country?"
Mr Al Neaimi added that the scam had made his life "very difficult" but that he would try to reimburse everyone who had been affected.
He said he had been receiving about 50 calls from landlords every day since the two owners fled.
"There are maybe around 7,000 properties, so this will not be solved in one day. I am trying my best to help this problem," he said. "I just ask people to wait."
A source at the Dubai Department of Criminal Investigation said: "People are opening cases with the police about this scam, but I don't know how many yet." Bur Dubai police station's deputy manager was still collating information.
"I think they have put these men on the wanted list but I need to confirm this," he said.
The scam comes on the back of a Dh6 million con concerning the Saudi owner of Shamyana Entertainment Services, Haitham Al Kouatly, who fled leaving hundreds of landlords and tenants out of pocket. An international arrest warrant has been issued for him.
According to a former employee of Marks Falcon, Mr Sulehri and Mr Zubair have not been seen since September 1.
"They have run away. The sponsor is trying to carry on but it's impossible for him," he said. The employee, who wished to remain anonymous, said an email from Mr Al Neaimi had been sent out to the office staff telling them that they would get their remaining salaries but that they "were told to stop working". He said the owners had fled to Pakistan and Malaysia with "all the money from the accounts".
In a statement, Rera said: "Marks Falcon is licensed in conformity with regulations and has a Dh5 million bank security deposit. Based on the complaint that Rera has received regarding the said company's practises that are in breach of its licensed activities, all the company's activities have been halted and the company has been fined."
The agency urged the public to check the authenticity of real estate company licences via Dubai Land Department's website and said owners must ensure that their contracts are registered on the online Ejari system.
Tenants are now extremely concerned as some landlords are trying to claim their money or their apartment back.
SG rented his apartment in The Greens from FHS almost three months ago but said his landlord was threatening him "to vacate the apartment immediately".
The landlord said he was capable of "kicking him out any day", so SG changed his locks and went to the police to complain.
A British tenant, Brian, who had paid Dh60,000 for his one-bedroom apartment in Dubai Marina, said Rera had confirmed to him Marks Falcon's owner had fled.
Rera told him he would not get evicted as long as he had his legal documents and a signed contract.
molson@thenational.ae
