A foreigner spent two months in a Dubai prison for an unpaid taxi ride

A former British politician talked about how he had to spend more than two months in a Dubai prison for a quarrel with a taxi driver.

46-year-old David Ballantin, a former British politician, spoke about how a dispute with a taxi driver in Dubai over an unpaid two-dollar trip ended in a two-year sentence and two-month imprisonment, followed by deportation from the UAE.

The incident occurred in 2013, but the British decided to tell about it after having made public the case of another foreigner who ended up in Dubai prison due to a conflict in a bar.

Four years ago, David Ballantin and his friends got into a taxi, but they immediately asked the driver to stop because of a misunderstanding. However, the taxi driver drove another 50 meters and stopped near the policeman to complain about his passengers. The policeman said that Ballantin must pay a minimum tariff of $ 2.7. The British took the money at a nearby ATM and threw it into the open window of a taxi car.

According to Ballantin, after that, the taxi driver again drove up to the Briton, who was surrounded by his friends and again declared that the trip was allegedly unpaid. On this basis, a conflict occurred during which a taxi driver attacked a foreigner.

As a result, the Briton was detained, his passport was seized from him. For two years he was awaiting sentencing, after which he spent 69 days in prison and was deported to his homeland.

In his narrative, David Ballantin criticizes the British government, which failed to provide the necessary legal support.

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