Photo: The National
A British tourist is stranded in his hotel room in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, after he racked up no less than 33 traffic violations for speeding in 4 hours, totaling $45,000.
The story broke the other day, as leasing company Saeed Ali Rent was refusing to return him his passport or collect the Lamborghini Huracan they had lent him from outside his hotel. Under local law, it is the owner of the car who is liable to pay for all traffic violations and not the driver. Understandably, they want Hashi to pay for speeding – and literally triggering every speeding camera he passed by on his 4-hour ride.
And here’s where the story becomes complicated. When he rented the Lambo, he left his passport as collateral. Though the leasing company didn’t manage to get a traveling ban in his name, they are refusing to return the passport and have taken the matter to court. They will simply not pay such high fines just because he refuses to come out of his hotel room.
Meanwhile, word got out in the British media that Hashi, a father of two, is actually disabled and drives a specially adapted Vauxhall Corsa back home. He has one leg shorter than the other, members of his family tell The Sun. He’s always been passionate about fast cars, so the news isn’t exactly surprising to them.
However, his brother Adman claims that Hashi is being set up. Currently out of a job, he accepted friends’ invitation to go to Dubai, where one of his pals owns a showroom. This is where he got the Lambo, but he didn’t rent it: his pal took care of everything.
Sure, Adman says, Hashi did drive at incredible speeds, but only because he had no idea there was a speed limit. He never left his passport as collateral: it was taken from him under threat, when the owner of the car found out about the traffic violations.
“It was only when they got it back to the showroom that they asked him for his passport because he’d incurred the fines,” Adman says. “But they are the owners of the vehicle and they should have to pay the fines. I’m flying out there today to try to sort this mess out. He has a partner and a young son who are missing him desperately.”
According to Adman, every day Hashi spends in Dubai over his planned stay is digging him further into debt, because he can’t afford the hotel.
Ironically, for an unemployed young man with a family at home, Hashi was able to book a room at the plush 5-star Five Palm Jumeirah, famous for its celebrity clientele. Either he has really generous friends or, as The Bard would say, something is rotten in the State of Denmark.
And here’s where the story becomes complicated. When he rented the Lambo, he left his passport as collateral. Though the leasing company didn’t manage to get a traveling ban in his name, they are refusing to return the passport and have taken the matter to court. They will simply not pay such high fines just because he refuses to come out of his hotel room.
Meanwhile, word got out in the British media that Hashi, a father of two, is actually disabled and drives a specially adapted Vauxhall Corsa back home. He has one leg shorter than the other, members of his family tell The Sun. He’s always been passionate about fast cars, so the news isn’t exactly surprising to them.
However, his brother Adman claims that Hashi is being set up. Currently out of a job, he accepted friends’ invitation to go to Dubai, where one of his pals owns a showroom. This is where he got the Lambo, but he didn’t rent it: his pal took care of everything.
Sure, Adman says, Hashi did drive at incredible speeds, but only because he had no idea there was a speed limit. He never left his passport as collateral: it was taken from him under threat, when the owner of the car found out about the traffic violations.
“It was only when they got it back to the showroom that they asked him for his passport because he’d incurred the fines,” Adman says. “But they are the owners of the vehicle and they should have to pay the fines. I’m flying out there today to try to sort this mess out. He has a partner and a young son who are missing him desperately.”
According to Adman, every day Hashi spends in Dubai over his planned stay is digging him further into debt, because he can’t afford the hotel.
Ironically, for an unemployed young man with a family at home, Hashi was able to book a room at the plush 5-star Five Palm Jumeirah, famous for its celebrity clientele. Either he has really generous friends or, as The Bard would say, something is rotten in the State of Denmark.
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