A collaborative investigative journalism initiative has uncovered the ownership of properties belonging to prominent figures in Dubai, including political leaders, individuals under global sanctions, suspected money launderers, and criminals. Among those identified are several Pakistanis, with their collective property holdings estimated at approximately $11 billion.
Dubbed 'Dubai Unlocked,' the project utilized data providing insights into hundreds of thousands of properties in Dubai, focusing primarily on ownership or usage details from 2020 and 2022. Properties registered under company names or located in commercial areas were excluded from the analysis.
The data, obtained by the Centre for Advanced Defence Studies (C4ADS) based in Washington, DC, was shared with Norwegian financial outlet E24 and the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). Over a six-month period, journalists from 74 media outlets across 58 countries collaborated to investigate the information, revealing numerous convicted criminals, fugitives, and political figures who owned real estate in Dubai.
In Pakistan, notable individuals listed in the property data include President Asif Ali Zardari's children, Hussain Nawaz Sharif, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi's wife, Sharjeel Memon, Senator Faisal Vawda, and several other public figures from Sindh and Balochistan assemblies. Additionally, the data implicates the late Gen Pervez Musharraf, former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, retired generals, a police chief, an ambassador, and a scientist, all of whom owned properties directly or through family members.
The investigative project also shed light on instances of dubious transactions, such as a property gifted to President Zardari, and properties owned by individuals involved in sanctioned networks or criminal activities. Furthermore, it uncovered undisclosed assets, such as Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi's wife's villa in Dubai, which was not declared in her husband's Senate election nomination papers.
According to economists and reporters analyzing the leaked data, Indian nationals topped the list of foreign property owners in Dubai, with estimated property values reaching $17 billion. Pakistani nationals ranked second, owning around 23,000 residential properties valued at approximately $11 billion.
The Property Leaks dataset includes detailed information such as property control, owner identification, and nationality. Journalists prioritized revealing ownership details in cases of public interest, particularly involving convicted criminals, sanctioned individuals, corrupt officials, or those concealing property ownership.
To verify the accuracy of the data, journalists cross-referenced it with official records, open-source research, and Dubai's land registry. Efforts were made to confirm current ownership status, though in some instances, ownership could not be definitively determined due to recent property transactions.
