Why Dubai Court Jailed Nigerian Billionaire

A Dubai court has sentenced Abdulrahman Bashar, the owner of Rahamaniyya Group and Ultimate Oil & Gas, to one year in prison over a financial crime linked to CI Energy Company, an oil and gas firm.

This marks the second time in less than five years that Abdulrahman Bashar has been sentenced to jail, following a UK court’s 2020 ruling that handed him a ten-month imprisonment.

According to court documents, the UAE court delivered its verdict on January 30, 2025, even as the 48-year-old businessman failed to appear for trial despite being duly notified.

Bashar was charged by UAE prosecutors for issuing seven cheques worth a combined 126.45 million dirhams from an Emirates Islamic Bank account with a signature mismatch. The prosecution argued that he deliberately signed and drafted the cheques in a way that prevented them from being cashed, a violation punishable under UAE law.

The court, relying on evidence including statements from CI Energy’s agent Jamal Awad Nasser Hussein, duplicate cheques, and bank statements, found that the cheques bounced due to discrepancies in Bashar’s signature.

“The crime of issuing a cheque is established the moment the cheque is given to the beneficiary with knowledge that there are insufficient funds,” the court stated during the proceedings led by Judge Hussein Hamdi.

It further noted that Abdulrahman Bashar’s defense team attempted to discredit the evidence presented against him in a bid to evade punishment by the court. However, the court ruled that the allegations were sufficiently proven and convicted him accordingly.

To avoid delays in justice delivery, the court transferred a civil compensation case filed by the prosecution to a competent civil court, as it required further investigation.

Bashar’s Previous Conviction in the UK

This is not first time that Abdulrahman Bashar would be charged to court. In February 2020, Justice Butcher of the England and Wales High Court sentenced him to ten months in jail for repeatedly defying court orders in a case filed by Sahara Energy Resources.

The orders, issued by Justice Robin Knowles in August 2019 and Justice Bryan in September 2019, directed Rahamaniyya Oil & Gas to release 6,400.49 metric tonnes of gas to Sahara Energy Resources or its agent.

However, Bashar failed to comply, preventing Rahamaniyya Oil and Gas from allowing the release of the gas oil from its terminal.

The court indicated that his jail term could be reduced to six months if he complied with the previous order. Additionally, Rahamaniyya was fined £500,000, while the company’s manager, Adebowale Aderemi, was penalized £10,000.

Who is Abdulrahman Bashar?

Abdulrahman Bashar is the chairman of Ultimate Oil & Gas DMCC and the managing director and CEO of Rahamaniyya Group of Companies. His businesses specialize in trading, supplying, and distributing African crude and oil products, earning him substantial wealth.

According to his company’s website, he oversees a diversified conglomerate with operations spanning Africa, Europe, South Asia, and the Middle East. His expertise lies in oil and gas exploration, marketing, and petroleum product distribution.
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