Family of Jailed Ryan Cornelius Seeks Help from EU in Dubai Crisis

Family members from Ireland of Ryan Cornelius, a UK entrepreneur imprisoned for fraud in the UAE—where his detention has been deemed unjust by the UN—are seeking assistance from Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and EU authorities with hopes to secure his release.

Ryan's spouse, Heather Cornelius, along with his brother-in-law, Chris Pagett, journeyed to the European Parliament in Brussels to urge Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to exert pressure on the UAE for Ryan's release.

Given Heather’s Irish heritage and her possession of an Irish passport, she believes the EU is now their sole pathway to facilitate Cornelius’ liberation.

Who is Ryan Cornelius?

Cornelius is a property developer who was jailed over a $501 million (€441.2m) bank loan from the Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) that he and another British businessman were using to fund investment programmes in the Gulf.

As a result, DIB later revised the loan terms, asserting that the funds were not utilized for their designated purpose and that falsified invoices were submitted to disguise the actual spending. An agreement was made where fresh payment conditions were established, with Cornelius offering his property as security.

In spite of this, he was arrested in 2008 due to suspicions around a bank fraud case, and his imprisonment was prolonged until 2028 unless the $430 million debt (€378.4m) could be resolved.

A United Nations working group on arbitrary detention ruled in 2022 that Cornelius’ trial was unfair and his imprisonment “arbitrary”, violating eight distinct clauses of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

His case has additionally caught the attention of the Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign, an organization established by Bill Browder. Mr. Browder was with some of his family members when they went to Brussels and stated that Cornelius is currently the longest-held wrongly incarcerated British citizen overseas.

Seventeen years in prison

During an interview with, the brother-in-law of Ryan Cornelius spoke about his time incarcerated in Dubai. As a previous government worker, Chris Pagett mentioned that Ryan’s physical condition was declining; however, he maintained mental fortitude through regular conversations with his spouse, Heather, and their trio of kids.

"The crucial aspect is to have conversations with Heather. He speaks with her every single day," Pagett stated, also mentioning that it constitutes a "serious misuse of procedure" that the UK government hasn’t taken greater steps towards securing Cornelius' freedom.

Pagett elaborated, "Despite having access to a public phone booth within the facility, Ryan ends up spending much of his time queuing at these booths during his days in prison."

"Ryan's situation was more like a nuisance, a barrier to achieving their aim of strong business ties with the UAE," he mentioned.

When asked for comments, the British government stated that Foreign Secretary David Lammy raised the issue with UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan on December 7, 2024.

In January, Hamish Falconer, who serves as the British under-secretary of state, mentioned that the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is offering consular support to Cornelius. He also stated that they take "reports of human rights abuses, such as coercion and substandard prison conditions, extremely seriously."

Bring Ryan Cornelius home

However, Heather Cornelius has sought help from officials in Brussels to secure her husband’s release, sharing how challenging everyday life has become for him.

"He hardly ever gets outside, maybe twice a month outside into fresh air,” she said.

Heather Cornelius described it as spending most of your time inside a concrete structure featuring bolted-down steel furniture and a metal bed, illuminated around the clock.

Irish MEPs Barry Andrews of Renew Europe and Seán Kelly of the European People's Party had a meeting with Heather Cornelius and Pagett at the European Parliament. Their aim is to get Ryan Cornelius’ situation onto the European Parliament’s agenda through a resolution, which would allow them to present it to the EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas.

"The UN Human Rights Council has unequivocally stated that this constitutes an injustice, and he shouldn’t have been imprisoned from the start, let alone have his detention prolonged," Barry Andrews noted, mentioning that according to Dubai’s regulations, individuals above the age of 70 ought to be freed regardless.

"There's an unusually harsh aspect to this prolonged detention, and Ryan has substantial medical requirements that aren't being addressed," Andrews stated.

"We are going to do everything we can to shed light on the case and hopefully to have Ryan released as soon as possible," he concluded.