World

The Draw of Dubai and How it is Attracting the Wealthy

Published

2 years ago

February 13, 2023

Dubai has long been a city that has attracted wealth and prestige, but since the pandemic, the wealthy have been flocking to the city in droves. With over 200,000 new immigrants moving to Dubai every year, the number of expats continues to grow, and only 15% of the city are actually Emiratis.

There are many reasons why millionaires and billionaires choose to make the move to Dubai. Among the most notable reasons are the golden visa, no income tax, location, and quality of life.

Golden Visa

During the pandemic, money and jobs began to disappear due to uncertainty in the market and the health of many individuals. As a result, many expats began to move home, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) became concerned about the potential contraction of their economy. This concern led the UAE to create the “Golden Visa”.

The “Golden Visa” is a 10 year visa that focuses on incentivizing high achievers. This visa began to appeal to many individuals. It also incentivized bringing families and businesses.

As a result, the individuals moving to Dubai were now considered more stable, long term-residents.

No Income Tax

An additional appeal that draws expats and wealthy individuals to the area is the fact that the UAE has no income tax. For individuals who are millionaires and billionaires, this is especially appealing.

Of course,with no income tax, the country must find a way to compensate for this loss. As a result, there are permits that must be obtained for a variety of things. These permits, however much a nuisance, do not offset the savings for the uber wealthy and what they save on their income taxes.

Location

Another appealing aspect of living in Dubai is the location. It is very centralized in terms of the rest of the world, and is often a layover location for many exciting destinations.

In addition to the ease of travel from Dubai, it also has a wonderful climate. Of course, during the summer months there can be extreme heat, but this doesn’t deter the super wealthy.

It is during these months that holidays are scheduled for individuals to escape the heat.

Quality of Life

When you have high expendable income, there are many excesses to spend money on. From golden luxury vehicles, to having everything drip in diamonds, dining at some of the best restaurants in the world, and having unparalleled entertainment, showcasing wealth has become a part of the culture.

One way that individuals choose to showcase their wealth is through the number on their license plates. The lower your number is on your license plate in Dubai, the more money it costs to purchase it. In fact, many license plates cost more than luxury custom cars. In fact, the number 1 license plate sold at auction for over $14 million and is expected to appreciate in value over time.

Other quality of life aspects to consider include an amazing education system, low crime rates, and an effective medical system.

Conclusion

Dubai ranks third in cities that are expected to grow in wealth, and is expected to be a major financial center. With all the growth and incentives for businesses and individuals, as well as the location and quality of life, it is no surprise that many wealthy expats choose to make Dubai their home.

World

TRG Chairman Khaishgi and CEO Aslam implicated in $150 million fraud

Published

6 days ago

June 23, 2025

Jenny Jackson

In a scathing 52-page decision, the Sindh High Court has found that TRG Pakistan’s management was acting fraudulently and that Bermuda-based Greentree Holdings historic and prospective purchase of TRG shares were illegal, fraudulent and oppressive.

The Sindh High Court has further directed TRGP to immediately hold board elections that have been overdue and illegally withheld by the existing board since January 14, 2025.

In the landmark ruling, the Sindh High Court has blocked the attempted takeover of TRG Pakistan Limited by Greentree Holdings, declaring that the shares acquired by Greentree, nearly 30% of TRG’s stock, were unlawfully financed using TRG’s funds in violation of Section 86(2) of the Companies Act 2017.

“Having concluded that the affairs of TRGP are being conducted in an unlawful and fraudulent manner and in a manner oppressive to members such as the Petitioner (Zia Chishti), the case falls for corrective orders under sub-section (2) of section 286 of the Companies Act,” Justice Adnan Iqbal Chaudhry concluded.

The case was brought by TRGP former CEO and founder Pakistani-American technology entrepreneur Zia Chishti against TRG Pakistan, its associate TRG International and TRG International’s wholly-owned shell company Greentree Limited. In addition, the case named AKD Securities for managing Greentree’s illegal tender offer as well as various regulators requiring that they act to perform their regulatory duties.

The case centred around the dispute that shell company Greentree Limited was fraudulently using TRG Pakistan’s own funds to purchase TRG Pakistan’s shares in order to give control to Zia Chishti’s former partners Mohammed Khaishgi, Hasnain Aslam and Pinebridge Investments.

According to the case facts, the Chairman of TRG Pakistan Mohammed Khaishgi and the CEO of TRG Pakistan Hasnain Aslam masterminded the $150 million fraud. They did so together with Hong Kong based fund manager Pinebridge who has two nominees on TRG Pakistan’s board, Mr. John Leone and Mr. Patrick McGinnis.

According to the court papers, Khaishgi, Aslam, Leone, and McGinnis set up a shell company called Greentree which they secretly controlled and from which they started buying up shares of TRG Pakistan. The fraud was that Greentree was using TRG Pakistan’s funds itself. The idea was to give Khaishgi, Aslam, Leone, and McGinnis control over TRG Pakistan even though they owned less than 1% of the company, lawyers of the petitioner told the court.

This was all part of a broader battle for control over TRG Pakistan that is raging between Khaishgi, Aslam, Leone, and McGinnis on one side and TRG Pakistan founder Zia Chishti on the other side. Zia Chishti has been trying to retake control of TRG Pakistan after he was forced to resign in 2021 based on sexual misconduct allegations made by a former employee of his. This year those allegations were shown to be without basis in litigation that Chishti launched in the United Kingdom against The Telegraph newspaper which had printed the allegations. The Telegraph was forced to apologize for 13 separate articles it published about Chishti and paid him damages and legal costs.

After Chishti resigned in 2021, Khaishgi, Aslam, Leone, and McGinnis moved to take total control over TRG Pakistan and its various subsidiaries including TRG International and to block out Chishti. The Sindh High Court’s ruling today has reversed that effort, ruling the scheme fraudulent, illegal, and oppressive.

It now appears that Zia Chishti will take control of TRG Pakistan in short order when elections are called. He and his family are now the largest shareholders with over 30% interest. He is closely followed by companies related to Jahangir Siddiqui & Company which have over a 20% interest. The result appears to be a complete vindication for Zia Chishti and damning for his rivals Aslam, Khaishgi, Leone, and McGinnis who have been ruled to have been conducting a fraud.

TRG Pakistan’s share price declined by over 8% on the news on heavy volume. Market experts say that this was because the tender offer at Rs 75 was gone and that now shares would trade closer to their natural value. Presently the shares are trading at Rs 59 per share.

According to the court ruling, since 2021, shell company Greentree had purchased approximately 30% of TRG shares using $80 million of TRG’s own money, which means that that the directors of TRG Pakistan allowed company assets to be funneled through offshore affiliates TRG International and Greentree for acquiring TRG’s shares – a move deemed both fraudulent and oppressive to minority shareholders. The Sindh High Court also found illegal Greentree’s further attempt to purchase another 35% of TRG shares using another $70 million of TRG’s money in a tender offer.

The ruling is a major victory for the tech entrepreneur Zia Chishti against his former partners and the legal ruling paves the way for him to take control of TRG in a few weeks.