A US Army veteran and father has been stranded in the United Arab Emirates, unable to leave the country, for five years because of “fictitious claims” he owed money to his former employer, according to an organization working to secure his release.
Robert Dobbs, 55, is stuck in Dubai, where he has been repeatedly detained – and even beaten by local law enforcement – because he allegedly owes $100,000 to Providence English Private School, Detained in Dubai said.
“A PTSD sufferer has been separated from his family for five years, on the false claim that he owed his former employer money when, in fact, he was owed end-of-service benefits,” a statement from the London-based organization read.
But the father of five says he can’t pay the debt because the school won’t renew his work visa — or let him leave the country and work elsewhere.
“It’s like Groundhog Day. Every day I fear it will be the day I am taken to jail while the bogus debt goes unpaid,” Dobb said in a statement released by Detained in Dubai.
“It cannot be paid because I have no money. I am also legally prohibited from obtaining a work visa while the case is open.”
Dobbs, who served in the US Army for eight years, moved with his wife and their blended family to Sharjah, a suburb of Dubai, in 2013 to teach because “the economy is quite slow in the United States,” he told UK broadcaster LBC.
Robert Dobbs, 55, a US Army veteran, left, has been detained in Dubai for the past five years. Family Distribution
The Milwaukee native worked for a year at another school before taking the job at Providence English Private School.
During his four years at the private school, Dobbs became head of his department, according to LBC.
But when his contract expires in 2018, the school refuses to pay him severance benefits — a bonus for employees who end their employment in the country — and won’t release him from his visa, Insider reported.
To leave the UAE, one’s visa must be canceled by the sponsor, according to the UAE government website.
The US State Department also warned on its website that the country “maintains strict exit controls.”
“Travellers may be denied entry to, or not allowed to depart, the UAE if the previous visa is not properly cancelled,” he said.
Dobbs moved their blended family to the United Arab Emirates in 2013, when he took a job as a teacher. Family Distribution
Dobbs sued Providence Private English School for unpaid benefits and won, with a UAE judge ordering the school to pay, according to court documents obtained by Insider.
However, the school later responded with a civil suit against Dobbs, claiming he owed $100,000 in tuition for his four children who attended the school while he worked there, according to Held in Dubai.
The Army vet maintains the tuition fees are included in his contract as part of his job — and that the civil suit against him is baseless and vindictive.
“He told me in front of me that he took the case to get revenge because I took the labor case to get my EOSB,” Dobbs said in a statement released by Detained in Dubai.
“The system here can be easily manipulated by people.”
The UAE also prevents anyone from leaving the country if there is any criminal or civil case against them, according to the State Department website.
Meanwhile, Dobbs never got a chance to argue his case in court because his hearing was scheduled to take place right when the COVID pandemic shut everything down — and he was never notified of a new court date, according to Detained in Dubai.
Dobbs worked for Providence English Private School for five years before school officials said his contract would not be renewed. But they are reportedly withholding the termination of his work visa and claiming he owes $100,000 for his children’s tuition. Dobbs stipulated that tuition was included under his employment agreement.Family Handout
Dobbs tried to appeal the matter to local officials, but told LBC any attempt to speak to Sharjah officials was like “talking to a brick wall.”
“Robert has no legal means to appeal or show evidence to the court that he does not owe the money,” Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai, said in a statement.
“He was not even told there was a court date and could not defend himself.”
He is now urging US diplomats to secure his release, claiming, “If diplomatic efforts are not made, the veteran will probably die in Dubai.”
Stirling said Dobbs has already been in contact with Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and has contacted the State Department.
“Senator Baldwin has confirmed he will make inquiries with the US State Department and with [her] support, we hope Robert will be reunited with his family” who can return to the US in 2020, Stirling said.
It remains unclear, however, what – if any – action has been taken to secure Dobbs’ release.
In a statement to The Post, the State Department said: “We realize Mr. Dobbs is unable to leave the UAE, and we are providing him with all appropriate consular assistance.”
The Post has reached out to Baldwin’s office for comment.
Stirling said that because the UAE’s legal system was easily abused, cases like Dobbs were “all too common”.
“We have seen people die in Dubai because they are not allowed to leave, nor are they allowed to work for themselves because an open police/civilian case prevents them from getting a visa,” he said in a statement.
“These people are left dependent on charity, often succumbing to malnutrition, or as they get older, lack of medical care.”
His children and stepchildren at home say their hopes of returning are dwindling.Family Section
Dobbs fears he will die in this country.
“It is not an exaggeration to say that I will probably die here because of this,” he said in a statement released by Detained in Dubai, noting that his friend Robin Berlyn died trying to escape “the same situation 18 months ago.”
His family has criticized the lack of intervention from the US government.
“My stepfather has contacted many powerful people. They have let him down too,” one of his stepsons, who was not identified, told Insider.
“He’s a veteran, so he served his own country and that country didn’t help him to go back to his own country.”
Dobbs also stated that on his family’s last visit, he saw a local police officer following him.
“I’m looking over my shoulder all the time,” he said. “That’s the one thing I think that really gets you down – after a point is that hyper-vigilance.”
He told LBC he now relies on his military training to keep him going.
“I went back to my old military days,” he said. “I have the will to survive, the mental strength to survive.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
