Dear Sir,
Ref: Articles in The Sunday Standard Newspaper – Dec 2021
I write this statement on a without prejudice basis to my rights.
I refer to your multiple articles published over the course of December 2021. It is with regret that I write this letter as you have not bothered to check with me or wait for my response regarding the multiple allegations made against me, all of which are denied. I write to you to clarify my position and the events surrounding the matters which are the subject of your articles without going into all of the details as they are on-going matters with various authorities in Dubai, and to clarify statements made against me in your paper by other parties.
I am not and never have been employed by Turnstar Holdings Botswana or by anyone in its
management, nor was I their appointed ‘agent’. I merely held certain Power of Attorney’s issued by them to carry out certain administrative tasks, which were entirely under their instruction at all times, all of which I performed transparently and to the best of my ability.
I deny every allegation of me receiving any commission from Turnstar Holding’s purchase of the building (Palazzo Venezia) in Dubai. This is incorrect and false. Further, I was not compensated at any time by Turnstar Holdings and neither have I asked for any compensation from them.
To the best of my knowledge, there was a commission arrangement between the seller and another party but this is currently under dispute and I cannot elaborate further. The Turnstar Holdings board did visit Dubai in 2017 and they did go for a lunch to the 7-star Burj Al Arab and stay in a 5-star hotel during this trip, as mentioned in your newspaper. I was present at this lunch and it was not hosted by the ‘Dubai business community’ but by the seller of the building.
I can also confirm that as of now there is no case, criminal or civil, that Turnstar Holdings has against me in Dubai. There was a matter filed before the dispute settlement centre in which I was cleared of any wrong doing. To the right forum, I am happy to disclose the official documents of the findings made by the authorities in Dubai.
With regards to the JVC project there was a high level of trust and friendship between all the parties over a long period of time which is established by the flow of millions of Pulas between them. There had been plans to build together many projects in Dubai including malls, apartment buildings, etc. In my opinion this friendship and trust was broken due to the lies and deception perpetrated by the other parties involved. Because of this and the fact that these matters are ongoing I cannot get into further details until some resolution doesn’t come forth.
I have offered my assistance to Turnstar Holdings and its management wherever required including but not limited to giving them documents and files, contact details, etc. at their request. The fact is that it was I who alerted Turnstar Holdings management when I discovered something was amiss in Dubai and I have had to pay a heavy price for this. I am currently battling through multiple issues and have been threatened many times by all the parties involved.
The depth and accuracy of your investigation is commendable and mostly accurate. I hope you can continue to do this for all of your other reports and investigations but please do consider including information from parties directly involved before proceeding to publish. I believe there is a Gaborone law firm appointed to investigate the Turnstar Holdings transactions in Dubai and I am available to provide any insight to them or any vested party due to my direct involvement in these matters.
I hope this clarifies my position with you as well as your readers.
Regards,
Uzair Razi
