| Description |
1 online resource (streaming video file) (29 min. 36 sec.) ; 177638011 bytes |
| Summary |
A Dubai jail almost killed Australian property executive Marcus Lee. The near five year legal ordeal that followed and kept him and his wife Julie trapped in the desert kingdom, almost destroyed them both. We conclude our special two part report on the plight of Australians ensnared by Dubai's paralysing, ancient criminal justice system by taking you inside the marathon courtroom saga and into the infamous deal that started it all. Why did an Australian company push so hard in the case against Marcus Lee and two other Australians charged with fraud. And where did property deal money go?On Australia Day 2009, Australian property executive Marcus Lee was thrown into solitary confinement in a Dubai jail, fell ill and descended to near death. He recovered and endured more months behind bars to finally learn he was accused of a crime he says he never committed. The alleged fraud involved a multi-million dollar deal over a plot of land on the Dubai waterfront known as D17. Authorities implicated Marcus Lee along with his his boss at Dubai, developer Nakheel, Australian Matt Joyce and another Australian businessman named Angus Reed. The full weight of Dubai's legal machinery was trained on them. Also pushing hard in the prosecution was the company claiming to have been fleeced in the deal - Australian developer Sunland.Foreign Correspondent has been following Marcus Lee and his wife, Julie since 2010, a year after their nightmare began. Our cameras have captured their claustrophobic existence, the ups and the downs, the terrible moments of despair. They were locked in Dubai's egregious court system - the processes of which are unpredictable and often punitive even if you're innocent. We follow the Lees through the ordeal that saw them lose everything, including their family home to raise the bail needed to ensure Marcus Lee could stay out of jail but shackled to Dubai. He couldn't leave to attend the funerals of his beloved grandmother, and then the step-father who raised him.Marcus Lee believes he was collateral damage in a pitched battle over a deal done at the height of Dubai's property boom.In this gripping conclusion to Foreign Correspondent's two-part drama, we unpick the infamous D17 deal and follow the money, exposing a paper trail which raises new and serious questions about the affair.We see Marcus and Julie Lee return to Australia, acquitted of any crimes. And examine the activities of others in this extraordinary affair |
| Event |
Broadcast 2014-04-08 at 20:00:00 |
| Notes |
Classification: NC |
| Subject |
Couples -- Psychology.
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Fines (Penalties)
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Fraud investigation.
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Solitary confinement.
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Trials (Fraud)
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Australia.
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United Arab Emirates -- Dubai.
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| Form |
Streaming video
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| Author |
Campbell, Eric, host
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Abedian, Soheil, contributor
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Joyce, Matt, contributor
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Lee, Julie, contributor
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Lee, Marcus, contributor
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Sneddon, John, contributor
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