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Jail term and deportation to continue
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Sahni, a property businessman with operations in the UAE and abroad, is also known for his extravagant lifestyle
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He gained international attention in 2016 after buying Dubai’s single-digit number plate “5” for Dh 33 million at a public auction
Dubai’s highest court has cancelled a massive proportional fine imposed on Indian businessman Abu Sabah Sahni in a high-profile money laundering case, while leaving intact his five-year prison sentence, confiscation of illicit funds and deportation order. The ruling, delivered by the UAE’s Cassation Court, brings partial relief to Sahni but firmly upholds his criminal liability.
According to local Arabic dailies Emarat Al Youm and Al Khaleej, the court annulled the Dh 150 million (around Rs 367 crore) proportional fine that had been imposed jointly on Sahni and his co-defendants. Instead, the court ordered the confiscation of funds linked directly to the crime, describing this as a more effective legal tool to recover illegal proceeds and combat organised financial crime.
While cancelling the proportional fine, the court confirmed all other penalties awarded earlier. Sahni will serve a five-year prison term, pay a separate fine of Dh 500,000 (approximately Rs 1.22 crore), forfeit proceeds connected to the offence, and be deported from the UAE after completing his sentence. The prison terms, fines and confiscation orders against the remaining defendants were also upheld.
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The Cassation Court clarified that the removal of the proportional fine did not dilute criminal responsibility
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Rather, it reflected the correct interpretation of the law, emphasising that confiscation remains the most appropriate mechanism for addressing financial crimes, alongside custodial and supplementary punishments to ensure deterrence
The case dates back to May, when the Dubai Criminal Court convicted Sahni and 32 others, including his son, of running an organised money laundering network. The trial court sentenced him to five years in jail, imposed a Dh 500,000 fine, ordered the confiscation of Dh 150 million in criminal proceeds and ruled that he would be deported upon completion of his sentence.
In August, the Dubai Court of Appeal upheld the conviction and jail term but increased the financial penalty by imposing a joint proportional fine of Dh 150 million on the accused. Prosecutors had claimed that the laundered funds totalled Dh 180 million, while the defence questioned the legality of the fines and confiscation.
Investigations revealed a sophisticated network using shell companies, suspicious financial transfers and digital currencies, including Bitcoin, to conceal proceeds from crimes such as drug trafficking and tax evasion committed outside the UAE. Authorities said the operation spanned multiple jurisdictions and violated the UAE’s Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing laws.
