Brit facing two years in jail in Qatar for falling behind on loan payments

A British engineer is facing two years’ jail in Qatar for missing loan payments to a local bank, his family say.

Brian Glendinning, 43, borrowed £20,000 from Qatar National Bank in 2016 while working in the capital of Doha.

He initially made monthly repayments but was forced to stop working while suffering from mental health issues and struggled to keep them up.

The father-of-three moved home to Kincardine, Fife, to recuperate, and later secured a job at a BP oil refinery in Iraq which was due to start in September.

But after stepping off the plane at Basra airport he was arrested on an Interpol Red Notice and is now awaiting a hearing on whether to extradite him to Qatar.

An expert helping the family accused the Qatari bank of manipulating Interpol’s crime reporting system to scare families like Brian’s into coughing up ‘substantially more than what was owed’.

Brian’s brother John, 39, said: ‘When my dad called and told me the news I broke down, he’s my big brother and my best friend so I was absolutely terrified.

‘It was so scary because I knew I couldn’t just get on a flight and go to see him.

‘The first time we spoke it was very emotional, it was hard because I could tell he was scared.

‘It’s just awful, everyday you wake up thinking this can’t be real but it is.’

The family has already been saddled with legal fees of £30,000 and are trying to fundraise £40,000 to cover the costs of getting Brian home.

Radha Stirling, of Interpol and extradition crisis consultants IPEX, said: ‘The bank deliberately activates wrongful Interpol Notices as a debt collection tactic akin to extortion.

‘They wait for a customer to be arrested and hope the parents will dispose of assets and pay the debt themselves.

‘The bank usually asks for substantially more than what was owed, knowing parents will pay anything to keep their children out of jail.

‘It works for them but makes a mockery of Interpol and extradition courts. It’s a human rights issue and clearly highlights Qatar’s intimate relationship with Interpol.

‘With the World Cup coming up, Qatar should be mindful of rights attacks towards foreigners.’

Brian’s father, John, who has sold his car to help fund the legal battle, explained how his son was convinced to take out the loan shortly after opening his account at the bank.

He said: ‘He met a bank salesman at his hotel who sold him a loan for £20,000.

‘Brian had been making repayments on the loan but he had to take some sick leave as he was struggling with his mental health.

‘He wasn’t able to go back to work and his contract was terminated.

John added: ‘The biggest fear is that he will be extradited to Qatar but we are hoping with the World Cup coming up they will decide to just cut ties with Brian over this.

‘If he is extradited they will jail him for two years and then insist he pays the remainder of the loan, but they will add loads of interest.

‘If he couldn’t pay it they would just keep hold him in prison and make him work to pay it off.’

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