Alexandre Djouhri reporting to a police station shortly after he was arrested in January. AFP
Alexandre Djouhri reporting to a police station shortly after he was arrested in January. AFP
Alexandre Djouhri reporting to a police station shortly after he was arrested in January. AFP
Alexandre Djouhri reporting to a police station shortly after he was arrested in January. AFP

French-Algerian fixer linked to Sarkozy probe on £2m bail


Paul Peachey
  • English
  • Arabic

A French-Algerian businessman held over the alleged illegal funding of Nicolas Sarkozy’s 2012 presidential re-election bid has been granted £2 million bail in the UK after collapsing with serious heart problems in prison, according to officials.

Alexandre Djouhri was being held in a south London prison earlier this month when he collapsed and required electric shock treatment to resuscitate him, according to a court official.

The businessman, 59, was arrested in January accused of fraud and money laundering when he arrived at London’s Heathrow airport from Switzerland where he lives.

The arrest warrant was issued by French authorities investigating the alleged illegal funding of Mr Sarkozy’s campaign by the regime of former Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi.

Mr Djouhri was freed after representations by his legal team but his bail was revoked on February 26 after France issued a second arrest warrant.

He was sent to the grim and overcrowded Wandsworth prison where he collapsed before being treated in the intensive care unit of a south London hospital.

He was returned to prison but freed on March 23 subject to strict bail conditions, which included providing the surety and having to remain under curfew at his £3 million London home for 20 hours every day.

Details of his condition emerged on Thursday as Mr Sarkozy learned that he would face trial for allegedly misusing his authority to secure information from highly-placed contacts about a separate campaign funding inquiry. He has been dogged but campaign funding inquiries since he left office in 2012.

The one-term president was arrested earlier this month over allegations first made in 2011 that the Libyans had bankrolled his successful run for the presidency.

Documents and statements made by French investigative website Mediapart suggested that the secret funding allegedly amounted to some 50 million euros. Mr Sarkozy denies the allegations and claims that the lurid publicity around the case meant that he narrowly lost the 2012 election.

Mr Sarkozy was one of the advocates of a Nato-led military campaign that resulted in Qaddafi’s overthrown and killing in 2011 and says that the claims made against him are revenge for his backing of the rebels.

Businessman Mr Djouhri – known as a wealthy fixer for the French elite in North Africa – rose to prominence after acting as an attempted peace maker between Mr Qaddafi and the rebels attacking the regime’s hold on Tripoli.

French prosecutors want to question him over the 2009 sale of a luxury villa in the south of France to a Libyan investment fund for a suspiciously high price of 10 million euros. The villa was sold to a fund managed by Qaddafi’s former chief of staff Bashir Saleh.

Mr Djouhri is also suspected of helping Mr Saleh to flee from France to South Africa in the days after Mr Sarkozy lost his 2012 re-election bid. Prosecutors say the businessman was secretly recorded promising to send judges a letter denying Mr Saleh’s involvement in financing Mr Sarkozy’s campaign.

The heart problems have not postponed plans for a full extradition hearing in July, according to officials, but judge Emma Arbuthnot is reviewing his bail every week

Mr Djouhri has been ordered to wear an electronic tag to ensure he does not flee Britain and has been told to keep a fully charged mobile phone with him at all times.

He has also been told that he cannot roam too far from his home in the upmarket district of Chelsea in west London other than to seek hospital treatment or for pre-arranged meetings with his lawyers.

He has had to hand over his French and Algerian passports to the police and is not allowed to go anywhere near ports, airports or international railway stations.

The court was told that Mr Djouhri has been suffering from an abnormal heart rhythm. He has had a small device implanted to monitor his heart rate and potentially deliver electric shocks if the problems reach dangerous levels. Doctors are still investigating the underlying causes of the problems.

His lawyers declined to comment.

First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus 

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

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
Results

1. New Zealand Daniel Meech – Fine (name of horse), Richard Gardner – Calisto, Bruce Goodin - Backatorps Danny V, Samantha McIntosh – Check In. Team total First round: 200.22; Second round: 201.75 – Penalties 12 (jump-off 40.16 seconds) Prize €64,000

2. Ireland Cameron Hanley – Aiyetoro, David Simpson – Keoki, Paul Kennedy – Cartown Danger Mouse, Shane Breen – Laith. Team total 200.25/202.84 – P 12 (jump-off 51.79 – P17) Prize €40,000

3. Italy Luca Maria Moneta – Connery, Luca Coata – Crandessa, Simone Coata – Dardonge, Natale Chiaudani – Almero. Team total 130.82/198.-4 – P20. Prize €32,000

Leaderboard

63 - Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA)

64 - Rory McIlroy (NIR)

66 - Jon Rahm (ESP)

67 - Tom Lewis (ENG), Tommy Fleetwood (ENG)

68 - Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP), Marcus Kinhult (SWE)

69 - Justin Rose (ENG), Thomas Detry (BEL), Francesco Molinari (ITA), Danny Willett (ENG), Li Haotong (CHN), Matthias Schwab (AUT)

Test

Director: S Sashikanth

Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan

Star rating: 2/5

MATCH INFO

Liverpool 4 (Salah (pen 4, 33', & pen 88', Van Dijk (20')

Leeds United 3 (Harrison 12', Bamford 30', Klich 66')

Man of the match Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)

The specs: 2019 Haval H6

Price, base: Dh69,900

Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder

Transmission: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm

Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km

The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont

Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950

Engine 3.6-litre V6

Gearbox Eight-speed automatic

Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm

Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm

Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km

The specs

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 502hp at 7,600rpm

Torque: 637Nm at 5,150rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto

Price: from Dh317,671

On sale: now

Quick pearls of wisdom

Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”

Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.” 

MATCH INFO

Who: France v Italy
When: Friday, 11pm (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports

How to avoid crypto fraud
  • Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
  • Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
  • Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
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  • Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
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ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

The%20Genius%20of%20Their%20Age
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20S%20Frederick%20Starr%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Oxford%20University%20Press%3Cbr%3EPages%3A%20290%3Cbr%3EAvailable%3A%20January%2024%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The%20Specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.6-litre%20twin%20turbocharged%20V6%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10-speed%20automatic%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20472hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20603Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20Dh290%2C000%20(%2478%2C9500)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE Falcons

Carly Lewis (captain), Emily Fensome, Kelly Loy, Isabel Affley, Jessica Cronin, Jemma Eley, Jenna Guy, Kate Lewis, Megan Polley, Charlie Preston, Becki Quigley and Sophie Siffre. Deb Jones and Lucia Sdao – coach and assistant coach.

 
How to wear a kandura

Dos

  • Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion 
  • Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
  • Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work 
  • Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester

Don’ts 

  • Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal 
  • Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
The specs

Engine: 1.4-litre 4-cylinder turbo

Power: 180hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 250Nm at 3,00rpm

Transmission: 5-speed sequential auto

Price: From Dh139,995

On sale: now

World Sevens Series standing after Dubai

1. South Africa
2. New Zealand
3. England
4. Fiji
5. Australia
6. Samoa
7. Kenya
8. Scotland
9. France
10. Spain
11. Argentina
12. Canada
13. Wales
14. Uganda
15. United States
16. Russia

Profile of Foodics

Founders: Ahmad AlZaini and Mosab AlOthmani

Based: Riyadh

Sector: Software

Employees: 150

Amount raised: $8m through seed and Series A - Series B raise ongoing

Funders: Raed Advanced Investment Co, Al-Riyadh Al Walid Investment Co, 500 Falcons, SWM Investment, AlShoaibah SPV, Faith Capital, Technology Investments Co, Savour Holding, Future Resources, Derayah Custody Co.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Museum of the Future in numbers
  •  78 metres is the height of the museum
  •  30,000 square metres is its total area
  •  17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
  •  14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
  •  1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior 
  •  7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
  •  2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
  •  100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
  •  Dh145 is the price of a ticket

Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W. W. Norton & Company

SPAIN SQUAD

Goalkeepers Simon (Athletic Bilbao), De Gea (Manchester United), Sanchez (Brighton)

Defenders Gaya (Valencia), Alba (Barcelona), P Torres (Villarreal), Laporte (Manchester City), Garcia (Manchester City), D Llorente (Leeds), Azpilicueta (Chelsea)

Midfielders Busquets (Barcelona), Rodri (Manchester City), Pedri (Barcelona), Thiago (Liverpool), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Ruiz (Napoli), M Llorente (Atletico Madrid)

Forwards: Olmo (RB Leipzig), Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Morata (Juventus), Moreno (Villarreal), F Torres (Manchester City), Traore (Wolves), Sarabia (PSG)

Dubai World Cup Carnival Card:

6.30pm: Handicap US$135,000 (Turf) 1,200m
7.05pm: Handicap $135,000 (Dirt) 1,200m​​​​​​​
7.40pm: Zabeel Turf Listed $175,000 (T) 2,000m​​​​​​​
8.15pm: Cape Verdi Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,600m​​​​​​​
8.50pm: Handicap $135,000 (D) 1,600m​​​​​​​
9.25pm: Handicap $175,000 (T) 1,600m

Walls

Louis Tomlinson

3 out of 5 stars

(Syco Music/Arista Records)

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets