Abdulrahman Bashar, the Nigerian billionaire and owner of Rahmaniya Filling Station and Ultimate Oil & Gas, has been sentenced by a Dubai court to one year in prison for financial misconduct.
The conviction stems from his business dealings with CI Energy Company, an oil and gas firm.
The court’s verdict was delivered on January 30, 2025.
According to court documents, Bashar was charged with issuing seven cheques totaling 126.45 million dirhams, drawn from an account at Emirates Islamic Bank.
These cheques were returned unpaid due to discrepancies in his signature. The prosecution argued that Bashar deliberately signed and drafted the cheques in a manner that prevented their cashing, leading to the charges under existing financial laws.
The court’s decision was based on evidence including statements from Jamal Awad Nasser Hussein, an agent of CI Energy, copies of the cheques, and bank statements.
Judge Hussein Hamdi noted that the crime of issuing a cheque is established merely by giving the cheque to the beneficiary, knowing that there is no balance available for withdrawal.
This is not Bashar’s first legal entanglement abroad. In February 2020, Justice Butcher of the England and Wales High Court sentenced him to ten months in prison for contempt of court in a case initiated by Sahara Energy Resources Ltd.
The court found that Bashar had committed continuous breaches of previous court orders.
Additionally, Rahmaniya Oil and Gas was fined £500,000, and its manager, Adebowale Aderemi, was fined £10,000.
As of now, Bashar and his company have not publicly responded to the latest sentencing.
In previous instances, Bashar has denied allegations of imprisonment. In August 2020, he refuted reports of being jailed in the UK, asserting his commitment to existing business agreements and maintaining that he was a law-abiding citizen residing in Abuja, Nigeria.
