Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

UK man, 75, trapped in Qatar for more than seven years after legal dispute

UK man, 75, trapped in Qatar for more than seven years after legal dispute

Ranald Crook, now back in Britain, was forbidden to fly home for his father’s funeral under travel ban
A 75-year-old British man was trapped in Qatar for more than seven years when he was refused permission to leave after a business dispute.

Ranald Crook, who is back in Gloucestershire, was even forbidden to fly home for his father’s funeral as a result of the travel ban, imposed after two influential Qatari brothers took legal action against him.

Abdulhadi Awjan al-Hajri and Hamad Awjan al-Hajri were brought in as sponsors of the construction company Geosan/Construction Dynamics, of which Crook was the general manager, because Qatari law at the time dictated that any business there must be at least 51% locally owned.

Crook said the brothers’ role was to solve local problems but when they failed to live up to expectations they were replaced, prompting a succession of legal cases against him, which he invariably won, only for a new one to be launched each time so that the travel ban was maintained.

“I assumed when the first court case came out we would go through it and that would be that,” said Crook. “Because we had two brothers who were partners, when that case was thrown out they then started exactly the same case again in the other brother’s name, which they can do.

“And then they made criminal accusations against me. You always think that sense will prevail but that’s wrong. People need to go into Qatar with their eyes open.”

The first case was lodged in August 2014 and Crook would not be able to leave until 20 December 2021 – seven years, 11 months and 15 days after he was last in the UK.

He faced two civil cases and two criminal cases, all of which went to multiple appeals, estimating that he attended more than 50 court hearings. He was victorious on each occasion but claims the cases were an abuse of the court system.

Crook said that at the outset of the litigation he and his wife cancelled her residence permit, otherwise she too would have had a travel ban imposed. As a result they spent lengthy periods apart and he could not accompany her back to the UK when she required an urgent hip operation. But he said missing his father’s funeral in 2015, after a court refused to waive the ban, caused him the greatest pain.

“It was the worst day of my life,” he said. “I wrote a eulogy for my son to read out but on the day, it was knowing that he was there, my wife was there, and my relatives – I will never forget it.”

As unfortunate as his situation was, Crook acknowledges that there are poor workers from developing countries in Qatar, which will host this year’s World Cup, in a far worse plight, without the resources he had to attempt to fight back.

When the second criminal case was brought he said he spent a night in police cells with men who appeared to be Pakistani workers. “After hearing their stories I wondered if they would ever be released,” he said. “They had problems with immigration status, or sponsors trying to screw money out of them.”

Crook had harsh words for the British government who he says were slow to act and told him they did not consider he had suffered a loss of human rights. He said: “At the same time, Qatari nationals are investing billions in the UK, with stakes in Barclays bank, Sainsbury’s, Canary Wharf, Heathrow airport, Harrods and the Shard. The real story here is that the UK is nervous of upsetting a state which is bankrolling many projects that are key to our economy.”

A Foreign Office spokesperson said consular staff provided support. Hamad Awjan al-Hajri declined to comment. His brother and the Qatari embassy in London did not respond to requests for comment.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
×