Abu Dhabi: The British supreme court earlier week on October 6 said that the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, hacked phones using the Pegasus spyware to snoop on his ex-wife and Jordanian princess Haya Bint al-Hussein and her lawyer’s team during the legal battle over custody of their two children.
72-years-old Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum has however denied the allegations after hearing the verdict, claiming the court decision was unfair and based on an incomplete picture.
The former couple were in conflict over the welfare of their children after the princess traveled to the UK with the two children. The princess claimed a threat to her life amid speculation about her relationship with her bodyguard. Their case is being heard in an English court.
The court repeated what it previously described as the sheikh’s attempt to intimate and harass his estranged wife. It is alleged that he also tried to buy a palace overlooking the princess’s estate in another attempt to create trouble.
“It had left her feeling hunted, unsafe and like she cannot breathe anymore,” BBC reported. The Sheikh has also been accused of kidnapping and mistreating his daughters.
The ruling is significant because Judge Andrew MacFarlane insisted throughout the case that Sheikh Mohammed needed to build confidence with the court that he would not take unilateral action to remove the children from their mother’s care.
