Interpol Asks Abu Dhabi To Arrest Ex-Spanish King's Longtime Friend - Reports

Interpol Asks Abu Dhabi to Arrest Ex-Spanish King's Longtime Friend - Reports

Interpol has asked Abu Dhabi to arrest a fugitive arms dealer and longtime friend of former Spanish king Juan Carlos I after they were seen together in the Emirati capital, media reported

MADRID (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th January, 2022) Interpol has asked Abu Dhabi to arrest a fugitive arms dealer and longtime friend of former Spanish king Juan Carlos I after they were seen together in the Emirati capital, media reported.

A Madrid court issued an arrest warrant for Spanish-Lebanese businessman Abdul Rahman El Assir in 2019 after he skipped hearings in a tax evasion case. He is believed to owe Spain some $17 million in unpaid taxes and faces eight years in prison and a hefty fine.

The 71-year-old has been seen several times in the past months in the presence of Juan Carlos at his Abu Dhabi residence, El Pais reported. The two bonded in the 1980s over their passion for hunting, which eventually led to the king's abdication in 2014 when a scandal around an elephant-hunting trip irreparably damaged the King's standing among the Spanish public. The former monarch has been living in exile in Abu Dhabi since 2020.

Interpol issued a "red notice" warning for El Assir after the Spanish national police activated international cooperation channels, the Spanish daily cited its sources as saying. The top Spanish interior ministry official at the country's embassy in Abu Dhabi was asked to alert the Emirati police about Spain's interest in having the businessman taken into custody.

El Assir is also wanted by France on tax evasion charges. Separately, he is said to have left $2.7 million worth of unpaid bills in Switzerland after living there for years.