UAE-based Indian businessman Balvinder Singh Sahni, also known as Abu Sabah, will spend five years in prison after the Dubai Court of Cassation rejected his final appeal in a high-profile AED150 million ($40.8 million) Bitcoin money-laundering case. He will also be deported after completing his sentence.
The court waived the AED150 million fine, as the amount had already been recovered through seized assets
Three companies owned by Sahni were each fined AED5 million, while all other penalties remain in place.
The case
Sahni, 53, founder and chairman of the Raj Sahni Group, was first convicted in May 2025 after Dubai’s Criminal Court found him guilty of orchestrating a money-laundering network involving organized crime groups outside of the UAE. The operation included:
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Drug trafficking proceeds
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Tax fraud
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Large-scale financial manipulation through shell companies, suspicious bank transfers, and digital wallets and cryptocurrency platforms
Investigators estimated that around AED180 million flowed into the city via Bitcoin wallets before being sold informally and converted into cash. Sahni reportedly kept a good share of the laundered money as profit, which he deposited into accounts of his companies.
The criminal investigation, launched in December 2024, traced illicit Bitcoin activity dating back to October 2018–January 2019. Authorities identified 30 individuals at the center of the operation, with 20 arrested and 10 at large. All were convicted, receiving sentences between 1-5 years.
A high-profile fall
Sahni was a prominent figure known for his extravagant lifestyle. He owned a luxurious property portfolio across the UAE, US, and India, including the 24-storey Burj Sabah in Jumeirah Village Circle and the Sabah Dubai Skyline Hotel. He also shot to fame as a luxury car collector and made headlines in 2016 for purchasing Dubai’s iconic single-digit “5” license plate for AED33 million.
Despite his high-profile and defense claims —including allegations of unlawful arrest, coerced confessions, and accusations that the case concerned only unlicensed crypto trading— the appellate courts dismissed them, which further confirms grounds of evidence on the money laundering.
With the Court of Cassation’s ruling, the case has now officially concluded, marking a much-awaited update in one of the UAE’s biggest money laundering cases.
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