Freed but

MR PRICE: You asked about the basis for his detention and the charges against him. Of course, we would refer you to Emirati authorities to speak to that, but what I can say is that we’ve seen no indication at this point that his detention has anything to do with his association with Jamal Khashoggi, but we are still gathering information. ...If any such investigative assistance was requested, it would’ve been made by the Department of Justice. It’s not for me to speak to the Department of Justice. I would need to refer you there. state.gov 11 August 

after receiving an official request from the US Embassy in Abu Dhabi on behalf of the US Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations Division for mutual legal assistance related to an ongoing probe of Mr. Ghafoor by US authorities. Based on this investigation, a UAE court convicted Ghafoor on charges of money laundering and tax evasion on 25 May 2022. As shared with US authorities, the UAE investigation determined that Ghafoor committed tax evasion and money laundering by executing at least $4.9 million in international financial transfers through the UAE banking system. UAE Embassy Washington August 8

Il rischio al quale ci si espone se si rende nota con risonanza eccessiva una vicenda giudiziaria in medio-oriente, attraverso i media e la creazione di gruppi di sostegno in grado di esercitare pressioni sul proprio governo, è di duplice natura.

Da un lato si offre l'occasione di generare un casus belli da utilizzare per trarre vantaggio su determinati dossier di interesse comune ai due Paesi. Per altro verso, specie in materia di questioni finanziarie, viene stimolata l'attenzione delle autorità competenti del Paese di origine del soggetto che chiede aiuto.

Conviene richiedere assistenza tecnica alla propria rappresentanza diplomatica e mantenere quindi la vicenda giudiziaria su un binario di basso profilo.