Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, perpetrated “exorbitant” domestic abuse on his ex-wife, according to a top British court who gave her exclusive custody of their children.
Sheikh Mohammed and his former wife, Princess Haya bint Al Hussein, half-sister of Jordan’s King Abdullah, have been in a three-year custody fight at the High Court in London.
The Dubai ruler had made Haya fear for her life, had abducted and mistreated two of his daughters from a previous marriage, and had ordered the phones of Haya and her lawyers, one of whom was a British politician, to be hacked using the Israeli state security software “Pegasus,” according to a previous ruling by a London court.
It has also decided that Sheikh Mohammed, the UAE’s vice president and prime minister, must pay a British record of more than 554 million pounds ($730 million) for the children’s long-term security and upkeep.
Andrew McFarlane, President of the Family Division in England and Wales, claimed Sheikh Mohammed had “consistently demonstrated coercive and controlling behaviour” against family members who rejected his will in his final decision against the Gulf royal.
“Although conducted on a scale which is entirely outside the ordinary circumstances of cases heard in the Family Court in this jurisdiction, the father’s behaviour towards the mother of his children is ‘domestic abuse’,” McFarlane said.
The judge determined that Haya should make all decisions regarding the education and health of the couple’s two children, Jalila, 14, and Zayed, 10, with Sheikh Mohammed just being kept informed.
Sheikh Mohammed has decided not to pursue direct contact with the children, so his interaction with them will be confined to phone calls and messages, according to McFarlane.
Sheikh Mohammed, according to the judge, was a loving father who adored his two children, who in turn adored him. He did, however, criticise the sheikh’s conduct during the dispute, which had taken a toll on Haya, as well as his failure to recognise his ex-role wife’s in child care.
“Although conducted on a scale which is entirely outside the ordinary circumstances of cases heard in the Family Court in this jurisdiction, the father’s behaviour towards the mother of his children is ‘domestic abuse’,” McFarlane said.
The sheikh’s London spokesman, who has had no involvement in the court proceedings, did not respond immediately.
The royal tale began shortly after Haya fled to the United Kingdom in April 2019, afraid for her safety after it was discovered she was having an affair with a bodyguard.
According to prior court judgments, she was later blackmailed by four members of her security team while the sheikh launched a campaign of intimidation against her and then hacked her phone and the phones of her lawyers.
“The circumstances under which the mother has been obliged to care for the children since their arrival in England are far from normal,” McFarlane said.
“To avoid the possibility of the youngsters being taken, their lives have been severely restricted.”
