Indian Billionaire Balvinder Singh Sahni Gets 5 Years In Jail In Dubai For Money Laundering

Dubai-based Indian billionaire Balvinder Singh Sahni has been sentenced to five years in jail on charges of money laundering. The Dubai court also ruled that Sahni be deported following the completion of his jail sentence, according to local media.

Dubai’s Fourth Criminal Court also ordered the confiscation of 150 million AED ( ₹344 crore) from Sahni, who is widely known as 'Abu Sabah', according to The Gulf News.

A fixture in Dubai's elite circles, Sahni was accused of laundering 150 million dirham through a network of shell companies and forged invoices. Sahni's son was among the 32 other people convicted alongside him, reported Khaleej Times.

Balvinder Singh Sahni was known for his extravagant displays of wealth. The property developer once paid $9 million for car number plate D5 for for one of his Rolls Royce cars.

The case against Sahni, who is chairman of RSG Group, was initially filed at the Bur Dubai Police Station in 2024. It was later transferred to the Public Prosecution on December 18 that year.

In the first court session on January 9, 2025, prosecutors laid out evidence of a sophisticated laundering operation involving shell companies, fake commercial partnerships, and suspicious financial transactions spanning both UAE and international jurisdictions.

He was convicted in May, with the Dubai court ordering Sahni to pay a fine of AED 500,000 and to forfeit assets worth AED 150 million, believed to be proceeds of the illegal activity.

The court also ordered his deportation upon completing the sentence.

Some defendants were tried in absentia, while others appeared in court. Several of the defendents received one-year prison sentences and fines of Dh200,000 each. In addition, three companies implicated in the case were each fined Dh50 million.

Sahni is the founder of a property management firm with operations in the UAE, the US, India, and other countries.

Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from Middle East, World and around the world.