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Ben Keith and Rhys Davies featured in The Telegraph on 11 January 2025

The article was first published in The Telegraph on 11 January 2025 and can be read in full, here.

“The family of a British businessman jailed in Dubai has urged the Government to impose financial sanctions on one of the Gulf emirate’s most senior officials. Lawyers acting for the family of Ryan Cornelius, who has been languishing in prison since 2008, have called on David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, to target Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Shaibani, director general of Dubai’s Ruler’s Court. They have written to Mr Lammy asking for Shaibani, who is also chairman of the Dubai Islamic Bank, to be placed on a list of individuals under UK sanctions laws, effectively freezing his assets in Britain. 

The United Nations (UN) Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has ruled that Mr Cornelius is being held arbitrarily over the allegations of unpaid debts. Lawyers for Mr Cornelius have now submitted a file to Mr Lammy recommending sanctions against Shaibani for his involvement in corruption and the abuse of human rights.

In their submission, Rhys Davies and Ben Keith, international criminal law and human rights barristers, stated: “Mr Cornelius has been arbitrarily detained and mistreated. His fundamental human rights have been violated and his assets have been stolen. He is the victim of state-sanctioned persecution of the most serious kind. Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Shaibani is responsible for those rights violations.”

Their submission to Mr Lammy added: “The United NationsWorking Group has examined this matter in detail and concluded that the ongoing detention of Mr Cornelius is arbitrary, falling within Categories I and III of their criteria for arbitrary detention. In the circumstances, there can be no doubt that MrCornelius’ ongoing detention is both unlawful and that the person responsible for his detention, Mohammed Al-Shaibani, should be designated.”

Rhys Davies is a barrister at Temple Garden Chambers specializing in international criminal and human rights law. He has represented clients in numerous high-profile cases, including those involving torture, extradition, and Interpol Red Notices.

Ben Keith is a leading barrister at 5 St Andrew’s Hill specialising in cross-border and international cases. He deals with all aspects of Extradition, Human Rights, Mutual Legal Assistance, Interpol, Financial crime and International Law including sanctions.

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About the Authors

Ben Keith Barrister

Ben Keith is a co-founder of IHR Advisors and an internationally recognised lawyer specialising in INTERPOL Red Notice challenges, extradition, international human rights law and asylum. He is the co-author of Interpol, Law and Practice (Sweet & Maxwell, 2026). He is co-editor of Red Notice Monitor, the leading public resource on INTERPOL Red Notice abuse and the practice of INTERPOL’s Commission for the Control of Files.

Ben represents clients across every region in INTERPOL Red Notice and Diffusion challenges before the Commission for the Control of Files. He has secured the deletion of Notices issued by states including Russia, China, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Belarus, Iran and Venezuela, in cases involving journalists, opposition political figures, refugees, human rights defenders and business figures targeted in commercial and political disputes. He is the author of the INTERPOL chapter in The Practitioner’s Guide to Global Investigations (Global Investigations Review, 2026).

Ben has appeared as counsel before the European Court of Human Rights Grand Chamber, the UK Supreme Court, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, and the UN Committee Against Torture. He is a member of the List of Counsel for the International Criminal Court and the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague.

He regularly acts for politically exposed persons, journalists, human rights defenders and high net worth individuals facing extradition, INTERPOL Notices and other instruments of transnational repression. He provides legal commentary to national and international media including the Guardian, The Times, the Financial Times, The Telegraph, the BBC, Sky News, CNN, CBS 60 Minutes, The Economist, Politico and Al Jazeera.

Ben is ranked Star Individual in Chambers and Partners and a leading individual in The Legal 500 for extradition. He practises from 5 St Andrew’s Hill in London.

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Rhys Davies Barrister

Rhys Davies is a co-founder of IHR Advisors and an internationally recognised lawyer specialising in INTERPOL Red Notice challenges, international criminal law and international human rights law. He is the co-author of Interpol, Law and Practice (Sweet & Maxwell, 2026). He is co-editor of Red Notice Monitor, the leading public resource on INTERPOL Red Notice abuse and the practice of INTERPOL’s Commission for the Control of Files.

Rhys co-authored the report Undue Influence: the UAE and INTERPOL with Sir David Calvert-Smith, examining the systemic misuse of INTERPOL’s Notice and Diffusion systems by the United Arab Emirates and the implications for INTERPOL’s governance. He represents clients in INTERPOL Red Notice challenges before the Commission for the Control of Files, with particular focus on cases involving Middle Eastern and Central Asian states, and on the position of refugees, journalists and political dissidents targeted through INTERPOL by their states of origin.

Rhys has significant experience of in-country legal advice and assistance, most recently in the West Bank, and a specific interest in the Middle East. He is a member of the List of Counsel for the International Criminal Court, the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. He regularly speaks at, and chairs, events at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva and at the House of Commons on matters of international law.

Rhys is the author of numerous articles on INTERPOL Red Notice practice and on justice in the Middle East, and is in demand as a commentator on international human rights. He provides legal commentary to national and international media including The Times, the Guardian, the Independent, the Financial Times, CBS 60 Minutes, Sky News, City AM and Al Jazeera.

Rhys is recommended as a leading individual in The Legal 500. He practises from Temple Garden Chambers in London and The Hague.

View Rhys Davies's profile