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Andy Burnham is urged to sanction UAE figures unless Brit, 72, is freed from Dubai prison where he has been arbitrarily detained for 18 years
Sixty-nine MPs and peers have urged Prime Minister Andy Burnham to seek Ryan Cornelius’s release from a Dubai prison by UAE National Day on 2 December. They say the 72-year-old British citizen has been arbitrarily detained for 18 years and argue that continued private diplomacy has failed; if he is not freed, they want targeted UK sanctions against people responsible for his detention.
Cornelius was arrested in 2008 over an alleged £372 million loan fraud involving Dubai Islamic Bank, which he denies. He received a 10-year sentence, extended by 20 years in 2018, with release scheduled for 2038, when he would be 84. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has called for his release and compensation, while his supporters say his imprisonment has separated him from his family for much of his children’s lives.
In short
- 69 MPs and peers call for Cornelius’s release by 2 December.
- They urge targeted sanctions if the UAE does not free him.
- His sentence currently runs until 2038.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Supporters of targeted sanctions argue that the prolonged detention, the UN working group’s call for release and the failure of private diplomacy justify stronger pressure. Sanctions aimed at officials responsible could raise the personal cost of continuing the detention while signalling that arbitrary imprisonment of a British citizen has consequences.
The case against
Those urging caution could argue that sanctions may harden the UAE’s position, reduce cooperation on the case or make a negotiated release harder to secure. They may favour continued diplomacy and careful legal engagement, which could preserve channels of influence and avoid wider damage to relations while seeking Cornelius’s release.
Geopolitics Government Politics UK World