Morag Koussa
“We are enormously happy that we were able to assist in resolving Morag’s dilemma. She and her family have gone through a terrible trauma, emotionally and of course financially, for years now, with no prospects of a solution. As soon as they contacted us, we began bringing Morag’s plight to the attention of the British media and relevant authorities. MPs Daniel Zeichner and Aspana Begum were particularly responsive and followed up with the FCO and British consular officials. We are extremely pleased that the banks involved in her case ultimately agreed that she has been a victim herself of her husband’s failure to meet his debt obligations, and that Morag deserved to be released from paying what he owed, and allowed to go home.” Radha Stirling, founder and CEO of Detained in Dubai
Six years ago, British national Morag McNeil Koussa was abandoned by her husband and shackled with his debts. Of course, he had promised to return with enough money to pay back his creditors, but on the day Morag signed the documents in court, and handed over her passport to the authorities; not understanding the full implications of what she was agreeing to, Morag’s husband took a flight out of Dubai and was never heard from again. Over the next few years, Morag’s circumstances went from bad to worse. She was taken to court for her husband’s unpaid debts, she lost her home and was forced to live with another family on the condition that she look after an elderly relative suffering from dementia. The youngest of her three children had to leave university in the UK due to the financial pressure the family was suffering. Banks and creditors were indifferent to her situation, and continued to hold her legally responsible for her husband’s debts. She had no passport, her visa expired, she couldn’t work and she couldn’t leave. She wasn’t even allowed to file for divorce from the man who had betrayed her.