Albert Douglas was being pursued by Dubai authorities over debts incurred by his son Wolfgang Douglas's company, which led to his arrest while Wolfgang was in the UK. He faced a £2.5 million fine and a three-year prison sentence, and had watched his supreme court appeal via video link from home a few weeks before the escape attempt. After losing faith in the legal system, Albert Douglas decided to lie low in a friend's apartment, having been forced to abandon his home on Dubai's Palm Jumeirah and go into hiding. He was being transported to the border by people smugglers in a pickup truck as part of this plan, according to accounts from his family and legal representatives.
Albert Douglas was captured by UAE soldiers at the border after they shouted, fired gunshots, and surrounded him, as described by his son and smuggler contacts. After capture, he was hooded and taken to a dark, dirty cell, which his family believes was a military base. Albert Douglas says he was stripped, slapped, deprived of sleep, and interrogated over several days in custody. He alleges he was beaten and tortured because he could not provide details about the smugglers. Three guards entered Albert Douglas's cell at Al Ain central prison and left him unconscious with head injuries, according to his account.
That's when I decided to leave. I left it not to the last minute, but the last second.
Albert Douglas was taken to Al Ain central prison in Abu Dhabi after the initial detention. The current legal status or whereabouts of Albert Douglas after the reported events remains unclear, as does the official response or charges from UAE authorities regarding his case and alleged mistreatment. The identities or fates of the people smugglers involved in the escape attempt have not been disclosed, and the specific details or evidence supporting the allegations of torture and beating in custody are unverified. The outcome of the supreme court appeal or any subsequent legal proceedings against Albert Douglas is also unknown.
I wasn't withholding information. I didn't have the answer. So I was beaten and I was tortured.