AP – DUBAI, United Arab Emirates Just days after another Dubai court rejected an extradition warrant for him, a British man accused by Denmark of orchestrating a $1.7 billion tax fraud was ordered by a Dubai court to pay Copenhagen’s tax authorities $1.25 billion, according to court documents viewed on Friday. The Dubai Court of Appeal’s decision against Sanjay Shah is a result of a civil lawsuit Denmark’s tax authorities brought against him four years ago as part of their probe into one of the biggest tax fraud cases the nation has ever seen.
Shah has always defended his innocence throughout the legal proceedings. Friday’s request for comment was not immediately answered by Shah’s attorneys in the separate civil lawsuit.
Shah has been charged by Denmark with orchestrating a complex tax fraud for three years starting in 2012 that involved foreign entities purporting to acquire shares in Danish enterprises and requesting tax refunds for which they were ineligible.
Through a local Dubai law firm, the Danish tax office Skattestyrelsen brought the civil lawsuit against Shah in 2018. The Dubai Court of Appeal ruled on Wednesday that Denmark had asked Shah and his accused cohorts for $1.9 billion.
Shah’s extravagant lifestyle on Dubai’s opulent palm-shaped island during the previous few years had angered Denmark. Shah was detained by Dubai police in June after Danish authorities and the UAE inked an extradition agreement. Shah is one of many suspects Danish authorities are looking for in a tax scam.
The hedge fund manager established a facility for kids with autism while he was living in Dubai, but it closed down in 2020 while Denmark sought to extradite him. Additionally, he was in charge of the British charity Autism Rocks, which earned money through performances and concerts.
A different Dubai court decided on Monday that Shah cannot be returned to Denmark to face accusations. Attorneys for Shah in the case confirmed to The Associated Press on Thursday that prosecutors had filed an appeal to reverse that decision.