Urgent Call For Help As The Clock Ticks

Sydney born, raised and educated Talal Aburashed moved to Abu Dhabi in his early twenties in 2006, in pursuit of a successful business career.

For the first seven or eight of his time in the United Arab Emirates, everything went exactly as he had hoped….you could almost say that Talal was ‘living the dream’.

The Greenacre-raised, Birrong Boys High School ‘old boy’ worked within the Real Estate Asset and Facilities Management industry, where he quickly rose through the ranks.

Approached to help set up a new company to compete with established organisations in the above industry, thanks to Talal’s astute business acumen and formidable network of contacts,  the firm quickly grew  into a 45 million dirhams a year company with over 100 staff.

It was in Abu Dhabi that Talal met his darling wife Fatat. The couple were married in 2007 and welcomed their first child, a son, into the world four years later.

MULTIPLE  SCLEROSIS

But through no fault of Talal’s, things began to fall apart in 2014, when he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, a debilitating and painful health condition for which there is no known cure.

The diagnosis of the UAE doctors was reconfirmed in Sydney in 2015 when Talal flew home for a brief visit.

But Talal’s problems were to become a lot worse in the years that followed.

In 2017, the firm that he was working for was liquidated, and even though he was cleared of any illegalities, Talal still faced legal issues.

As the manager, Talal was held accountable for the company not being liquidated correctly with the governing authorities.

(UAE law stipulates that the manager of a company is personally responsible for all liabilities owed by the company if the organisation folds.) 

For the past 18 months with the assistance of his lawyer, Talal has been negotiating with the company’s creditors to drop the outstanding cases against him.                              

He has not been permitted to work since 2017 due to the cases against him and the fines incurred which have escalated daily due to an expired visa – so he has had to rely on the generosity of family and friends to pay the bills.

Managing his Multiple Sclerosis has been an ongoing struggle without the necessary, prescribed medication which is beyond his financial means.

He is also not permitted to seek any medical attention or treatment due to the fact that he doesn’t have any medical insurance.

His now nine year old son hasn’t been able to attend school for the past two years as Talal is not in a position to pay his school fees and his four year old daughter has been unable to start kindergarten for the same reason.

HOMECOMING HALTED

Talal was acquitted of all active cases against him in April 2020 and with the onset of COVID-19, the UAE government announced an amnesty in June 2020 whereby residents with expired visas would be permitted to return to their home countries, with any outstanding fines to be waived at the airport prior to departure.

This being the case, Talal was looking forward to returning home to Sydney permanently with his family, and with the assistance of the Australian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, they were booked on a flight back to Sydney on July 17, 2020.

However, in the days leading up to his planned return to Australia, Talal was advised by his lawyer that a further – and final – case had been raised against him and that he will not be permitted to leave the UAE without paying the plaintiff the outstanding amount, 167,000 dirhams or $62,349 Australian approximately (depending on the exchange rate).

This debt is for the rent of the company’s office, and again, Talal is being held personally under UAE law for a three year old debt.

Obviously, Talal is in no position to pay this account as he is not permitted to work.

The events of the past two to three years have taken an enormous personal toll on Talal and those close to him.

He has lost most of his friends within the industry he worked, exhausted all of his savings and borrowed more money as well as having to sell most of his personal possessions, just to get by.

Talal’s son is showing signs of depression because he is missing his friends as he is unable to attend school.

In 2018, Talal and his wife elected to send their son to Sydney. He fell in love with Australia and since returning to Abu Dhabi, he feels like he is being punished for something and says that he just wants to go to school and for the family to “live like normal people”.

Talal’s daughter communicates by yelling and screaming and has become violent and is always frustrated.

COURAGEOUS STRUGGLE

As previously revealed, Talal has courageously been fighting his ongoing battle against Multiple Sclerosis without the aid of medication, for reasons of financial hardship.

Describing his continuing struggle with MS, Talal says: “The symptoms that I suffer from have worsened with the constant stress and anxiety, both of which bring on relapses in my condition, and these are occurring more and more often.

The symptoms that I suffer from have worsened with the constant stress and anxiety, both of which bring on relapses in my condition, and these are occurring more and more often.

“In 2015, I was placed on medication that required me to take an injection every two weeks; but I haven’t taken any medication since 2017 except anti-inflammatories for the pain which I can buy over the counter.

“Speaking with neurologists online when the opportunity arises, I have noticed an increase in my symptoms and these online professionals have confirmed that my condition will continue to worsen if left untreated.”

I have noticed an increase in my symptoms and these online professionals have confirmed that my condition will continue to worsen if left untreated.

Time is running out for Talal in terms of the legal issues he faces on two counts.

Not only is the clock ticking in terms of him coming up with the funds to satisfy the property owner, but Talal will be declared an illegal immigrant if he hasn’t left the UAE by November when the amnesty ends, so it is very much a two-edged sword.

The likely outcome of any upcoming legal action against him is that the judge will sentence Talal to jail on a month by month basis until the debt is paid or for a maximum period of 36 months.

Being unable to work and reluctant to ask for further support from his immediate family and close friends as they have already done all they can to help, Talal has had no alternative but to set up a GoFundMe page to raise sufficient funds to satisfy the plaintiff.

Talal Aburashed is a good man, a God-fearing man and an innocent man.

Talal is also a sick man, currently stranded 12,000 kilometres from home with his wife and young family in a country where he is unable to work to feed his family or satisfy his medical needs, let alone pay this one last debt, which was not his fault.

NO WIN’ SITUATION

Establishing a GoFundMe page is not something that Talal is keen to do as he is a proud man who has always paid his own way.

However, he now finds himself in a ‘no win situation’ – unable to pay this liability as he is not permitted work in the UAE.

Talal is full of praise for the information, advice and assistance provided to him throughout this ordeal by the Australian Embassy in Abu Dhabi.

He also wishes to express his sincere appreciation to his lawyer, who has supported him and stuck with him throughout the entire ordeal and has worked tirelessly to assist him without requesting any payment owing to Talal’s dire position.

And if you are reading this article, Talal would also like to thank YOU for taking the time to do so, and for your interest and concern in this matter.

Please note that all funds raised by the GoFundMe will be transferred to Talal’s legal representatives in Abu Dhabi so the plaintiff can be paid, and once the plaintiff has received these funds, this final case against Talal will be dropped and he will be permitted to return to Australia.

CAN YOU HELP??

If you are in a position to help a good Muslim brother, please go to the GoFundMe website and follow the steps as every donation will help Talal Aburashed and his family get back to Australia.
Talal is also contactable directly at: talal.aburashed@gmail.com if you have any questions.