US: According to Ned Price, a spokesman for the State Department, the United States is asking the United Arab Emirates for "additional information" regarding the arrest of Asim Ghafoor, a citizen of the United States and a former lawyer for the assassinated Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
According to the state news agency WAM, the UAE sentenced Ghafoor over the weekend to three years in prison and a $800,000 fine on charges of money laundering and tax evasion following an earlier conviction in absentia. The UAE announced on Saturday that US authorities had asked for UAE assistance in a probe into Ghafoor's alleged crimes. While passing through Dubai International Airport, he was detained.
The arrest of the accused and his presentation to the Abu Dhabi Criminal Court in accordance with the legal processes established in this regard were praised by the UAE Public Prosecution, according to the news agency, for their cooperation with the US in tackling transnational crimes.
However, according to Price, the UAE was informed of the United States' expectation that Ghafoor "be afforded a fair and transparent legal process and that he be treated humanely" and that they did not seek his arrest.
Khashoggi, who was killed in 2018 at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, had been represented by Ghafoor. Price responded when questioned about the reason behind Ghafoor's arrest, "We see no indication at this point that his detention has anything to do with his association with Jamal Khashoggi, but we're still gathering information.
Price directed inquiries about whether the Justice Department had initially requested that the UAE look into Ghafoor to that department.
In a statement, a spokeswoman for the Justice Department said that the department "does not publicly comment on communications with foreign governments on investigative matters, including confirming or denying the very existence of such communications."
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