Eid pardon sought by jailed Balham entrepreneur (From Your Local Guardian)

Eid pardon sought by jailed Balham entrepreneur

7:30am Thursday 2nd September 2010 in

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A campaign has been launched to free a Balham entrepreneur who was jailed in Dubai over bounced cheques.

Friends and family are calling for Safi Qurashi to be pardoned during Eid, the Muslim festival.

It is tradition in the United Arab Emirates for a group of prisoners to be pardoned every year to mark the end of Ramadan.

If the 10-day campaign is successful, Mr Qurashi would be freed along with his partner, Mustafa Nagri and accountant, Yousuf Nagri.

A petition will be presented to the UAE Embassy during a protest at lunchtime today, with the hope of it reaching the attention of Sheikh Mohammed, ruler of Dubai.

Mr Qurashi was jailed after “security cheques” were cashed and bounced - a criminal offence in the strict Arab country.