JEDDAH: The emir of Qatar personally ordered the imprisonment of 20 members of the ruling Al-Thani family for their support of the Anti-Terror Quartet instead of Doha, a French magazine has claimed.
Le Point spoke to Jean-Pierre Marongiu, an entrepreneur who belongs to the French community in Qatar, who was jailed in Doha four years ago for bouncing checks, a crime he contests.
Marongiu claimed that the Qatari emir ordered arrests even before Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain cut ties with Doha on June 5. Soon after the boycott, the arrest rate multiplied, he alleges.
According to Le Point — which contacted the French businessman by telephone — four members of the royal family revealed their names while others preferred not to, as they feared for their lives.
The prisoners reportedly asked Marongiu to tell their story as soon as he was released. He told Le Point about the poor conditions the prisoners face in jail, including intimidation, poor health conditions and the spread of insects and cockroaches in the cells.
The royal family members held in Qatar were reportedly accused of bouncing checks and embezzlement, while younger members were accused of drug possession.