Qatar ‘compromised’ High Court case ahead of hosting 2022 World Cup, court told

The authorities of Qatar orchestrated a “criminal conspiracy” to interfere with the result of a High Court lawsuit up of its hosting of the 2022 World Cup, a tribunal has been told.

Lawyers for 8 Syrians claiming to person suffered torture and persecution astatine the hands of the jihadi radical Al Nusra Front allege that Qatar and its agents “derailed” a multimillion-pound ineligible lawsuit successful London.

The individuals antecedently took ineligible enactment against Qatari businessmen Moutaz Al Khayyat and Ramez Al Khayyat, claiming they played “key roles successful financing” Al Nusra Front, arsenic good arsenic Doha Bank, which allegedly “knowingly facilitated the transportation of funds” to the Syrian group.

What we accidental was connected ft present was undoubtedly a conspiracy from precise aboriginal successful these proceedings which past started to succeed, that conspiracy being to debar immoderate dispositive result of the litigation astatine oregon earlier the clip of the World Cup that was hosted successful Qatar astatine the extremity of 2022

Sir Max Hill KC

The men assertion that Al Nusra Front, a designated violent organisation, carried retired acts against them including kidnap, torture and the demolition of property.

Lawyers for Doha Bank said determination was a “total deficiency of evidence” that it was progressive successful immoderate alleged interference and that it was not connected to the Qatari state, with the Al Khayyat brothers not represented astatine a proceeding concerning ineligible costs connected Thursday.

Sir Max Hill KC, for 4 of the individuals, said successful written submissions that their ineligible claims had been “irreparably compromised” by “a transgression conspiracy by agents acting connected behalf of the authorities of Qatar and/or the defendants”, which helium described successful tribunal arsenic “unique and unprecedented interference”.

He said: “What we accidental was connected ft present was undoubtedly a conspiracy from precise aboriginal successful these proceedings which past started to succeed, that conspiracy being to debar immoderate dispositive result of the litigation astatine oregon earlier the clip of the World Cup that was hosted successful Qatar astatine the extremity of 2022.”

Sir Max continued that Qatar was “determined to debar an result from proceedings which mightiness embarrass” astir the clip of the competition.

In written submissions, helium said that from August 2019, determination were “numerous attempts” by Qatari officials to find retired the individuality of the 8 individuals, to “interfere with and intimidate” witnesses and to observe the individuality of the translator successful the lawsuit truthful they could “bribe (him) to derail the proceedings”.

Sir Max continued that the translator “has been continuously offered bribes, including offers of spot and titles, and has had his edifice changeable at” and yet “succumbed” to pressure, starring to him becoming “instrumental” successful the illness of the cases.

The barrister said that Qatar had besides offered a lawyer a six cardinal dollar “success fee” if they could settee the claims, arsenic “an adverse judgement against (Doha Bank)… would beryllium a nationalist relations disaster” for the country.

He told the tribunal that the authorities and the slope had “very existent connections”, including that 5 of the bank’s founding members and 4 existent committee members belonged to the House of Al Thani, the ruling location of Qatar, adding that the slope was the “principal and nonstop beneficiary” of the alleged interference.

Sir Max said: “As such, immoderate judgement against (Doha Bank) would origin nationalist embarrassment to the Al Thani household and could perchance impact a diplomatic incident, fixed Qatar’s relations with the United States and the European Union.”

Four of the 8 claims were thrown retired by the High Court successful July this year, which Sir Max said successful tribunal was “entirely unwittingly and unknowingly the culmination of this conspiracy”. The remaining 4 are present seeking to extremity their ineligible challenges.

Hannah Brown KC, for Doha Bank, said successful her written submissions that the organisation should beryllium paid its ineligible costs, stating determination is “no evidence” that the organisation “sought to interfere” with the proceedings.

She continued that portion the slope “has a transportation to the Qatari authorities and ruling family”, the Al Thani household has much than 20,000 members and that allegations that it was intimately linked to the household were “nonsense”.

There is nary grounds that the slope has sought to interfere with the owed advancement of these proceedings oregon enactment improperly oregon unlawfully successful narration to them successful immoderate mode astatine all

Hannah Brown KC

Ms Brown said: “Even taking it astatine look value, thing successful the grounds supposedly showing the alleged interference has thing whatsoever to bash with the bank.

“There is nary grounds that the slope has sought to interfere with the owed advancement of these proceedings oregon enactment improperly oregon unlawfully successful narration to them successful immoderate mode astatine all.”

She continued: “If the alleged interference occurred past it is simply a substance to beryllium taken up with the persons liable for it, who, if they engaged successful unlawful conduct, are apt to beryllium astatine hazard of immoderate fig of civilian oregon transgression sanctions.”

Ms Brown added: “It is intolerable to discern what happened connected the claimant broadside of these proceedings oregon wherefore they person collapsed. The tribunal has not been fixed the afloat picture, and the grounds that has been served is variously incoherent, oregon adjacent to it, contradictory oregon simply unclear.”

She besides said determination were “serious questions” to beryllium answered by the lawyer who was offered a interest by Qatar to settee the claims, but that this had “nothing to bash with the bank”.

The proceeding earlier Mr Justice Soole is owed to reason connected Friday.