http://www.standard.net.au/news/world/w ... 21662.aspx
THREE Australians have been arrested in Dubai as part of a long-running investigation by the local authorities into corruption allegations in the wealthy Persian Gulf emirate.
It is not known where the three Australians worked or what positions they held. One of the men, in his 40s, is from Victoria and is believed to be married with children. It is not known what states the others are from.
The London newspaper the Financial Times reported that there were "indications" that Dubai's ruler, Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, "plans to leave no stone unturned" to allow investigators the "freedom" to build their case.
The sheik last year bought the Woodlands Stud of the chickens magnate Bob Ingham for more than $460 million, making the Dubai ruler and world's biggest owner of thoroughbreds the dominant force in Australian racing.
The stud is famed for the Godolphin racing empire, which produced the winner of last year's Caulfield Cup, All The Good. The ruler's brother, Sheik Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has twice won the Melbourne Cup.
The Financial Times reported last year that a Dubai senior board member of a state investment fund had been detained on allegations of embezzlement.
The newspaper's Gulf business correspondent also wrote in August that authorities had started a fresh investigation into "financial irregularities" at the Dubai Islamic Bank and its real estate unit.
A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said yesterday that consular officials were trying to confirm that the men had been detained in Dubai in recent days.
"If the reports are confirmed, immediate consular access will be required," he said. The Financial Times reported that the fraud investigation had "mutated into an audit of government-wide graft".
The correspondent wrote that in Dubai many cases of fraud did not go to trial and that "businessmen accused of fraud are detained by the state security service".
The concern expressed by some familiar with the Dubai system of investigation is obtaining access to those detained.
Some suspects have been detained for some time without being charged.