ReportHe Was Overjoyed. Then He Vanished. Wife's 9-Year Saudi Plea.Aired September 13, 2026 at 6:36 AM UTCWritten September 13, 2026 at 7:55 AM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:11Nine years after a British resident father vanished in Dubai, his family is0:15demanding his release.0:16His wife, diagnosed with cancer two months ago, has seen him only rarely since 2017.0:21Now he lives under an electronic tag, barred from leaving the kingdom, with charges0:25that could send him back to prison.0:27After nine years of quiet diplomacy failed, will public pressure from the UK, EU,0:32UN, and US change his fate?0:34The family went public in early September in London, launching the Bring Rami home0:38campaign and calling on the UK, European Union, UN, and United States to press Saudi0:43Arabia for his release.0:44Rami Naimi is a father of three and the son of Ali Al Naimi, the former Saudi oil0:49minister who once ran a Ramco.0:51According to the family, Naimi departed Sydney airport on November 3rd, 2017, and0:56was arrested in Dubai the same day while returning home with his father.0:59He was then transferred to Riyadh's Ritz-Carlton hotel, which had been converted1:03into a high-security detention facility as part of the anti-corruption round-up1:07launched the next day.1:08That operation swept up hundreds of princes, ministers, officials, and businessmen.1:13Saudi authorities later said it recovered roughly $106 to $107 billion in1:18settlements from 87 people before concluding in January 2019.1:22But Naimi was neither a prince nor a politician.1:24The family says he was swept in anyway and never given a lawful basis for detention.1:29From 2017 until early 2025, he faced no charges.1:32He was redetained without charges in 2022 and in a closed trial last year was1:37convicted and sentenced to six years.1:39The charges involved exploiting his father's official influence and acting as an1:42agent for a U.S.1:43company in connection with an Aramco contract, as well as following social media1:47accounts hostile to Saudi Arabia.1:49The family denies all of them as false.1:51He was released in March 2025, but only onto an electronic tag.1:55During those years, the family says he was subjected to interrogation, seizure of1:59his assets, a travel ban, a secret trial, and continuous monitoring.2:03Phone contact with his family was permitted only after three weeks and then limited2:07to thirty seconds.2:08The family's account includes harsh allegations of physical mistreatment.2:12Saudi officials have denied them.2:21That was her last conversation with him as he was concluding his trip to Australia.2:25She and their son Ali spoke at the London event, and the family has deliberately not2:29told Naimi about the campaign, fearing it would put him at further risk.2:33The journey from Sydney to Dubai to Riyadh marks the beginning of his ordeal.2:37Now, he remains unable to leave the kingdom, living with his father, who is in his2:4290s and bedbound.2:43A key complication shapes the diplomatic path.2:46Naimi is a UK resident with a British family.2:49But he is described as an EU citizen, Malta is mentioned, which limits standard UK2:53consular eligibility.2:55The UK Foreign Office declined to comment when asked, and no public statement from2:58the UK government has emerged.3:00The family has called for government support and meetings with ministers.3:04Saudi authorities have not responded to requests for comment and have not publicly3:08confirmed the sentence or the charges.3:09Further proceedings are still pending against Naimi over his social media activity3:13and an attempt to leave the country without permission.3:16The family says a conviction on the social media claim could carry a long additional3:19term or return him to prison.3:21The campaign has converted a decade of private appeals into public pressure on four3:25governments, but the Saudi government's silence and the family's own fear about3:29informing him of the campaign reveal how little control they have over his3:32situation.3:33The account of the detention rests primarily on the family's statements and on3:37reporting by ABC News in Australia.3:39Saudi authorities have not publicly confirmed any of it.Explore with HeyDexFollow via RSSThe shortThe short ↗