Hostage in Qatar : Drama, Art or Reality?

Did you contact Human Rights commission?

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/host... and on the web at www.hostageinqatar.c....

From his story it looks like he got trapped in a situation which was beyond his control.

He's telling his story via twitter (not the best way if you ask me, but there you go). Thankfully you can read his tweets in chronological order here - http://hostageinqata...

It makes for interesting reading, and I urge people to read it all before commenting.

Agree, from what he's saying it sounds like he's been made a scapegoat. Worth noting that he states that he doesn't blame the government for his situation, and realises it's all down to his sponsor.

So the sponsor should foot the bill for any losses????

There are two parts to every story, I'm sure this is only one part.

btw, I don't think the OP (scorpio79) is the hostage!

The attitude of his sponsor is not too far from the attitude of the UAE prince who tortures his business partners.
The only difference here is the type of torture applied to the victim.

In countries where the rule of law is almost non existent or applied selectively and human rights have no say, there are similar risks to all those who venture their way here :(

In no civilized country an individual can dictate the destiny or freedome of another. In those countries, only the law can do so...

From the way the story reads as well it's the sponsors fault the losses were incurred. Anyway he's the 51% owner, if the company fails, it's his problem, thus is business.

uncivilized country? Isolated case but really pathetic. I pity his family in Belgium!

........tsk! tsk! tsk! Ganun pala nangyari sa miting ng mga Heneral!!!!!!

"Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship"

Will be interesting to see how the Gulf Times present the story (they've just asked him for an interview).

I am implying that the immature Qatari justice system allows uncivilized behavior to take place under the eyes of a dormant system!
Until there is no recognition of the urgent need to improve upgrade and enforce the law, up to a modern standard, there will always be abuses in countries like this.
We can not pretend that the law and its enforcement here are up to the level of developed nations, it’s just not yet the case, thus this post!

I have been offered a job in qatar but I am not sure whether I will be able to get a visa as I have a previous driving offence in the UK. Please can anyone advise whether this would prevent me getting a visa?

"Dialogic Belgium washed their hands of the situation.
They decided the debts were the client’s fault and my imprisonment in Qatar was the sponsor’s decision and responsibility."

"Qatar’s Ministry of the Interior could release me at any time. But they choose not to. Why? Because I have a court case against me."

This makes sense.

As I said before,Belgian company opens partnership with (Qatari), then when project fails, wants to liquidate, and (Qatari) sponsor should foot the bill. (Yes, he will need to find the money, or he'll go to real jail, not an ambassador's villa)

Internation business court and sort it out there, and let this guy go home.
He aint gonna have all the money to pay this debt is he ?

And like Gypsy says, you want the greater percentage of the business to cream off the rewards, yer also gotta sort out the shit when the business doesnt go how its planned.
If yer dont want that hassle, dont be greedy and have a 50-50 share of any business.
Yer cant have it both ways.

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I think you have me confused with someone who gives a [Let's not get blocked by the Telco].

As per law qatari national has to hold atleast 51% of shares of every company . in most of the cases they are for only name sake. They will get a monthly/yearly amount for their signature. All the investments and business is being done by the other partners/share holders. I assume in this case, Company got doomed, Foreign partner washed his hands. Sponsor of the company left with a huge debt..and an innocent fellow trapped in the case.

the "qatari" national is a pakistani who got his citizenship by virtue of an ancestor who "fought Bahrain in a war without a single gunshot fired."

C'est la vie..

bleu, it doesnt make a difference. it could have been empty pans as well..

it makes me sad at all but i hope everything will be good for him and his family will be quite happy to see him very soon.
on the other hand, this is only one side of the story. we cannot decide bcoz we dont know the other side of the story. belgium govt. and his fellows partners could not do anything, it means there would be something extremely wrong which makes all this situation exhaust (may be he knows about this or not). I believe that no any govt. will hostage anyone without any reason on this level of executive personnel.

hope everything will be okay soon. best wishes for his family.

Gulftimes has nufin to say about this story...they never publish any thing like this which spoils the image of the government or the nationals...I think the people who say Qatar is the best place and people are very lovely,they now know how the other side of picture looks like.the reality is infront of everyone.i know people will give excuse that majority is not like that but when time comes anyone can turn bad..the truth is never written on the faces,its hidden inside.

one of the points to note from this incident is the prevailing sponsorship system in this country. it is not for us to decide whether the man is right or wrong. let the courts decide that. but the abuse of the exit permit system in this country by such "nationals" gives a whole new meaning to the "slavery" term.

being held hostage in the belgian ambassador's villa might sound a bit dramatic but better than twittering from within a jail..

with Qatar wanting to become the next cultural, art, sport, etc.. capitals of the Middle East, isnt the shady exit permit system a bit medieval to be still practiced in this country?

Or is Qatar on track to become a modernised medieval tribal country?

The commercial and legal part of the story have multiple faces. This guy can be an escape goat (that mean it was enough stupid to accept such job) or can be part of the escaping plan of the Belgian company (that mean he has been payed for taking responsibility). He mustto go to court and let the law to decide..

He is not a hostage then.

He can make it out of the Embassy.

So, not exactly too bad then. If he was truly in trouble his family would not be allowed here.

This bloke is a manager, the business goes tits up. He is held responsible and then he is held hostage.

As a manager he must have been told things were dodgy or when he first came here he would have been alerted.

I don't get this at all.

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Man makes plans...............God smiles ;-)

Exactly, something wrong with this.

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Man makes plans...............God smiles ;-)

PM, he's the manager of the company, from the Belgian side. When the company failed to perform a contract, they want to bail-out, and leave the Pak-Qatari sponsor to bear all the responsibility (Maybe QR 3.2MM or more).

He complained to the police, and there's a court case pending, now the Belgian manager claims that his resignation was accepted in Belgium, and should be let out of the country. He is staying at the ambassador's villa, claiming to be a "hostage".

Seems that the honorable thing to do would be for his Belgian company to post a large bond with the Qatari court and allow him to go home until the court case. (Is there such a thing as a surety bond here?)
Mandi

Mandi, people here want to ignore that part. Since they're a Belgian company, they ARE be fair.

He's the weakest link, there's nothing they can do to the Belgian company, but they can keep their manager in the country until this problem with the company.

what do u expect people ??
sooner or later we will be stuck with
a similar condition .
because again there is two standards approch to this,
rest assure that these things will go on in the arab world and will never be fixed.
what does a manager has to do with company losses ,where is the owners in all of this?
and why is the qatari partner blaming the managerm well in fact his partners has gone without getting a peace of his anger....

as manager and administrator he is fully responsible for the status of the bussines. The qatari partner have no reason to ask for penalties from his belgium partner. The belgian company, legaly, can send the manager to court for miss-administration. So in the end this guy is responsible for everything has been done, even if he was not here at that time. He took not only the position and salary but also the status quo of the company. If he was carefull he should have in his contract a clause to absolve him from any previous fraud or missmanagement. But he was blinded by the unexpected raise of his life level, he considered everyone a stupid moron and the things gone bad. Now he has to pay for this. Consider that the qatari partner has involve in bussines, maybe not money but at least relationship, guarrantees and image. And probably because of the failure he will not be able to start another similar bussines. The belgium company, as many other, more than possible, have invested only a small amount of money, waiting for a boom. It does not work so they consider an acceptable loss and they gone back home. Again, this guy should be aware and to avoid problems he should go in a long holiday before the explosion. And, sorry to say that, but I am not crying after such kind of individuals. They are creating the bad side of the existing world....

It is an internationa commercial and administrative rule/law that the owner/shareholder is away of anything done without his written request or consent. Even with his consent or instruction, the manager is the first and main responsible. If he consider that owner's requirements are not legal or suitable for the management of the bussines he have the possibility to resign before bad things happens.
It is not the owner (in legal terms) who is conducting the activity. Is the CEO and executive manager!! If you will not receive your salary you will not blame the owner but your director....What tpo do in case of corporations? Will you blame 2000000 shareholders for the fraude of the general manager? They will have their part of losses and that's all. This is bussines jungle: if you dare you participate, if you are lucky you are a rich man, if not you go to jail (extreme). But you are the one to accept or not this risk.

The pending court case is what prevents the authorities from allowing him to leave.

qatar06,
You spotted the fundamentals of what is wrong in this story!
Congrats for your objective observation!

qatar06, lusitano - As it says on his website the state (through the MoI) do have the power to let him leave, but because he has a court case filed against him they are not allowing him to.

scorpio is right - unless this guy did something illegal that caused the business to fail, which seems unlikely, I don't see how he can be guilty of anything.

You're right to say there are two sides to the story, in so much as this guy may be exaggerating things for effect (by using the word hostage, for example), but I don't see how there can really be a side to this story that justifies a court case against him which results in him not being allowed to leave Qatar.

laurana - agree with you.. u seem to have nailed it right where it belongs..

u can fool some or all people some of the time, but u can't fool all people all of the time..

only executive responsibilities but also financial, administrative and legal. In fact the CEO/general manager is the ultimate power in company. The owner can only verify if he is following the path to obtain the contracted goals. When a manager is starting his activity he must be aware about the status quo of this company. So that mean he know from the beginning if everything is OK or not and if he continue to manage the company, mean he considered everything OK and he is taking responsibility of everything. No company by itself is creating losses, only the manager does!!. And when he accepted the job, he took the responsibility from the shoulder of previous manager. It is a common practice to check all the documents, accounts, history prior to accept such job.
If he is a honest and qualified manager he should file a case against the former one immediately after starting the work: did he????
Result: he was naive(commercially for stupid) or too greedy to have the job no matter the effects.

http://hostageqatar....

Aha!!!! There's a third side. Previous management that was replaced by this guy, and that he allegedly put hostages in Qatar until they paid him QR60k.

I can't wait for the next episode!
Mandi

Season 2 of this melodrama starts here -
http://hostageqatar....

Will Gulf times publish a review of this episode? It remains to be seen tomorrow.

I wish they'd stop using the word 'hostage'. It's sensationalising and inaccurate, and discredits what they're trying to do.

just heard that the ex-managing director paid himself a success fee of 100,000 euros!! paying ONLY 60,000 qr to Mr. Hostage for letting him leave the country was cheap peanuts. Mr. Hostage should have negotiated for more!

I feel sorry for the hostage. This is not the first time this has happened here.. I've heard this happen to a lot of people in Qatar.

Thank you to everybody for sharing your honest point of view.
The story is spreading all over the world.
Today The Independent published its first article in the UK.
Check it out and feel free to comment. http://www.independe...