It is a true sad case of what can happen to people in countries like Qatar.
here are the details publish in the victim's blog:
Belgian Businessman Held Hostage in Qatar
Doha, Qatar – May 28, 2009 - Since October 2008, Philippe Bogaert, 37, a Belgian TV producer, has been held hostage in Qatar due to laws that place control of his exit permit in the hands of a hostile employment sponsor.
The married father of two arrived in the Gulf state in April of last year to work as a broadcast manager for Dialogic Qatar, a subsidiary of the Belgian company, Dialogic SA, which was contracted to organize the Qatar Marine Festival.
Bogaert was unaware of problems the company had already been facing with the client which was refusing to pay invoices for their services.
Three months later, in July 2008, Bogaert was asked by the company’s board to replace the managing director, Harald Vervaecke, who had been fired for mismanagement. Bogaert was tasked with saving the project and restoring the client’s trust. Ten days after he assumed the position, however, the Qatar Marine Festival Organizing Committee terminated the contract with Dialogic Qatar.
After two attempts to liquidate the company, on orders from the board of directors in Belgium, failed because the company’s Qatari sponsor, Farukh Azad, boycotted official proceedings, Bogaert resigned. His resignation was accepted by Philippe Housiaux, chairman of the company and CEO of the parent company Dialogic SA in Belgium.
In Gulf countries, foreign companies must have a local sponsor who is generally paid in return for his signature on documentation, and who also holds a controlling interest in the company’s local operations. While operating as silent partners, their signature on bureaucratic matters is essential.
In Bogaert’s case, Azad refused to accept his resignation and grant him an exit permit, a legal requirement for expatriate employees who wish to leave Qatar. Instead Azad, who under Qatari law would be responsible for the debts of the company he sponsored, launched a court case against Bogaert holding him responsible for the failure of the project and demanding €3.2 million in compensation.
“I am being held hostage in Qatar with a ransom of QAR16 million on my head,” says Bogaert. “I could never have imagined, when I signed on to help organize a marine festival, that I would find myself captive to a medieval system in which a corrupt young man could hold me prisoner on a whim. This is a cautionary tale for westerners who come to work in the Gulf. You have no rights.”
Left with no salary or accommodation, Bogaert has taken shelter at the Belgian Ambassador’s residence since early December. “I can’t thank them enough. They are the most helpful and good hearted people I have met in a very long time”, Bogaert says.
Six months later, no progress has been made toward his release from the country.
His sponsor, Farukh Azad, a 28 year-old Qatari of Pakistani origin who is employed as a secretary in the office of the Head of Qatar Foundation, refuses to allow him to return to his family in Belgium.
The Belgian company, Dialogic SA, which ceased supporting Bogaert financially after he resigned, cut off all communication with him in March 2009 and no longer answers his calls.
The Belgian government, despite multiple efforts, has not been able to resolve the situation.
The Qatari government refuses to intervene as long as a court case is pending against him.
“I am now using the internet to send out my SOS to the world,” says Bogaert, who is telling his story through Twitter, the popular micro-blogging site, at www.twitter.com/hostageinqatar and on the web at www.hostageinqatar.com.
It is a true sad case of what can happen to people in countries like Qatar.
here are the details publish in the victim's blog:
Belgian Businessman Held Hostage in Qatar
Doha, Qatar – May 28, 2009 - Since October 2008, Philippe Bogaert, 37, a Belgian TV producer, has been held hostage in Qatar due to laws that place control of his exit permit in the hands of a hostile employment sponsor.
The married father of two arrived in the Gulf state in April of last year to work as a broadcast manager for Dialogic Qatar, a subsidiary of the Belgian company, Dialogic SA, which was contracted to organize the Qatar Marine Festival.
Bogaert was unaware of problems the company had already been facing with the client which was refusing to pay invoices for their services.
Three months later, in July 2008, Bogaert was asked by the company’s board to replace the managing director, Harald Vervaecke, who had been fired for mismanagement. Bogaert was tasked with saving the project and restoring the client’s trust. Ten days after he assumed the position, however, the Qatar Marine Festival Organizing Committee terminated the contract with Dialogic Qatar.
After two attempts to liquidate the company, on orders from the board of directors in Belgium, failed because the company’s Qatari sponsor, Farukh Azad, boycotted official proceedings, Bogaert resigned. His resignation was accepted by Philippe Housiaux, chairman of the company and CEO of the parent company Dialogic SA in Belgium.
In Gulf countries, foreign companies must have a local sponsor who is generally paid in return for his signature on documentation, and who also holds a controlling interest in the company’s local operations. While operating as silent partners, their signature on bureaucratic matters is essential.
In Bogaert’s case, Azad refused to accept his resignation and grant him an exit permit, a legal requirement for expatriate employees who wish to leave Qatar. Instead Azad, who under Qatari law would be responsible for the debts of the company he sponsored, launched a court case against Bogaert holding him responsible for the failure of the project and demanding €3.2 million in compensation.
“I am being held hostage in Qatar with a ransom of QAR16 million on my head,” says Bogaert. “I could never have imagined, when I signed on to help organize a marine festival, that I would find myself captive to a medieval system in which a corrupt young man could hold me prisoner on a whim. This is a cautionary tale for westerners who come to work in the Gulf. You have no rights.”
Left with no salary or accommodation, Bogaert has taken shelter at the Belgian Ambassador’s residence since early December. “I can’t thank them enough. They are the most helpful and good hearted people I have met in a very long time”, Bogaert says.
Six months later, no progress has been made toward his release from the country.
His sponsor, Farukh Azad, a 28 year-old Qatari of Pakistani origin who is employed as a secretary in the office of the Head of Qatar Foundation, refuses to allow him to return to his family in Belgium.
The Belgian company, Dialogic SA, which ceased supporting Bogaert financially after he resigned, cut off all communication with him in March 2009 and no longer answers his calls.
The Belgian government, despite multiple efforts, has not been able to resolve the situation.
The Qatari government refuses to intervene as long as a court case is pending against him.
“I am now using the internet to send out my SOS to the world,” says Bogaert, who is telling his story through Twitter, the popular micro-blogging site, at www.twitter.com/hostageinqatar and on the web at www.hostageinqatar.com.