News Desk |
An Insider in Dubai’s royal family has broken his silence to tell the world how Sheikh Maktoum’s multi-million pound divorce battle with his estranged wife Princess Haya in the British courts will expose secrets of the UAE ruler.
Sheikh Maktoum’s nephew Marcus Essabri says the divorce will show how his uncle has mistreated Princess Haya and his cousins, Princesses Latifa and Princess Shamsa.
The Sheikh’s brutal crackdown on his own daughters
Speaking to Australia’s TV news show ’60 Minutes’, Essabri said: ‘The one person who knows the truth about what happened to my cousins Latifa and Shamsa is Princess Haya.’
‘I hope that she uses the court case to tell the world how they have been treated. She has the opportunity to do some good for these poor women.’
Princess Haya is the third woman to escape from the tyrant ruler of Dubai. His daughters Princess Shamsa and Latifa have reported gruesome torture by their father and both are still locked up against their will. Queen Elizabeth calls this monster a friend. https://t.co/lkT9yDLk65
— Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) June 28, 2019
Essabri, whose mother is the sister of one of Maktoum’s six wives, demanded an update on the treatment of Princess Latifa who fled the kingdom last year, claiming she had been drugged, imprisoned and tortured.
Latifa, 33, spent three weeks on the run before she was captured on a yacht off the coast of India and returned to Dubai.
Her elder sister is Princess Shamsa who has not been seen or heard from in almost 20 years since attempting to flee the kingdom.
She was 19 years old when she drove out of Maktoum’s Surrey mansion while on an extended stay.
The Princess was able to remain hidden for six weeks until she was grabbed while walking along a street in Cambridge and taken to an airport in the south east of England and flown by private jet back to Dubai.
A missing person’s report was filed with Cambridgeshire Police but the matter was dropped when officers were told there was no prospect of speaking with Shamsa in Dubai.
She spent eight years in prison on the orders of her father and has never been seen in public since her return.
Her disappearance and treatment are thought to have been a key factor in Princess Haya’s decision to flee to London and seek a divorce.
Haya, 45, the youngest of Maktoum’s wives is holed up at her £85m mansion in Kensington while she awaits a court hearing to decide on their divorce and custody of their two young children.
Read more: Princess Haya’s love affair, a mere rumor or a conspiracy?
In his TV interview being aired in Australia on Sunday Essabri, 48, will say the hearing is likely to expose the real goings on inside Dubai’s royal family – as he reveals how his favorite cousin Shamsa confided in him her plans to escape.
‘She sent me letters asking me for my help and told me how she was not allowed to attend University. Her life was not her own.’
After receiving Shamsa’s plea for help Essabri spoke to his aunt to tell her how unhappy her daughter was with her life.
As a result he was shunned by other members of the Dubai royal family.
‘The family did not like being told that something was wrong and all contact was broken,’ he said. ‘I have had nothing to do with them ever since. They did not like anyone speaking about Shamsa.’
Essabri said his efforts to find out about what happened to Shamsa failed as no one within the Dubai royal family would ever talk about her escape and capture.
He wrote the following letter to his estranged uncle in an attempt to help his cousin, but to no avail.
Essabri said he was stunned last year when he saw the video made by Latifa talking about her sister and how she was kept in a drugged state on the orders of their father.
Latifa said seeing how her sister was treated led to her decision to seek a new life in the US.
Human rights groups claim Latifa is now also being kept in a drugged state and unable to leave Dubai.
When Latifa's escape and the spy broke, it was called the movie of the week, remember? Now although this story sounds outrageously shocking, the normal reaction is to call for a PROOF OF LIFE of Latifa, not claim she is alive and call the story crazy. @peterjfry @DailyMirror
— Captain Herve Jaubert (@hervejpj) July 16, 2019
With the backing of top QCs in London they have been campaigning for her release.
A pattern of abuse exposed?
Essabri, who has lived in the UK since he was 14, believes Princess Haya’s decision to flee from Dubai and seek sanctuary in London showed there was a pattern of women close to the Sheikh wanting to leave.
‘With Princess Haya leaving people will see that there is a pattern. Three women in his life have all fled from his control. That tells you about the man and what he is like, he said.
‘Princess Haya has the opportunity to reveal what has really happened to Latifa and Shamsa. This is a great opportunity for her to step up and help them.’
See 21:30 in this video (rough auto-translation courtesy of @peterjfry; H/T also to @Zomrda18). /2#FreeLatifa #FreeShamsahttps://t.co/IeB9Ltk7jE
— James Gavitt (@JamesGavitt) July 20, 2019
David Haigh from the Free Latifa Campaign said Essabri’s decision to come forward was a significant step forward in their bid to secure the Princess’ release.
He said: ‘ Marcus is the first person connected to the Dubai royal family to have the courage to speak up. He has proof that Shamsa wanted to escape for a new life.
‘The information contained in the letters that he has kept from Shamsa shows that she wanted a new life and help to escape.
‘Once the police see these letters we are hoping they will re-start their investigation into her disappearance.’