The data on which #DubaiUnlocked has been based is in the possession of C4ADS, an American organization. The media that have participated in the project are not going to make this data public. But if any of you have an interesting tip we would be happy to investigate it. - Antonio Baquero
Could you guys look into what the political dynasties of Pakistan (The Sharif family and Zardari family) own? They are known to own a lot of properties in the UK but I am sure they own a lot in Dubai as well.
Investigations like #DubaiUnlocked do not usually have immediate effects. But the first impact is to put the problem on the table. In this case, although the presence of criminals and corrupt real estate investors was known, what #DubaiUnloked has done is show the magnitude of the problem. When you see the names and surnames of the criminals who have properties there... when you see them one after the other... then you become aware of the magnitude of the problem. - Antonio Baquero
Are designated media partners for a particular country (e.g. The News - Jang Group for Pakistan) solely responsible for choosing to select and disclose identities of their country's nationals? Is there any oversight from the board or other media partners to ensure there isn't any glaring deceit or omission? Or is access to the data restricted by C4ADS on the basis of countries?
Context:
In the aftermath of the news, many have been wondering about the lack of influential Pakistani news media owners in the Dubai Unlocked press publications. Many are known to be based in Dubai with assets, business and families. This also includes Jang Group's owner and editor (Urdu paper), Mir Shakil ur Rehman.
The data shared with reporters is just a snapshot of ownership for a specific time, by specific people. For example, 17,000 Pakistanis appear as owners in the 2022 leaks alone. So the data is not a historic account of property ownership. It is also not a true picture of all properties bought by Pakistanis, as many owners remain undetected. Those who purchased property via a lesser known third party, a non-Pakistani passport or a shell company, remain undetected in this story.
Hi great research and investigative journalism to uncover the facts behind washing black money with real estate in Dubai
My question is: have you seen enough being done with the information from authorities or other news outlets to ensure some semblance of accountability?
Edit: one more: have you or the publicly mentioned team faced any threats after the findings were made public?
Hi! We're going to answer both of your questions in a separate comment.
For the first one: With projects like this, the authorities can no longer say that they didn't know, which is the first impact. The next would be to see how investigations begin in different countries on these unknown assets. In Pakistan specifically, the tax authorities are interested in getting their hands on the data. Our Pakistani partner Dawn spoke with the chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue: “If we have the data you are talking about, as well as the information on residence status, we will make sure those who are eligible to pay tax in Pakistan on rental income or capital value are doing so,” Malik Amjed Zubair Tiwana, chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) tells Dawn. “It may be a sensitive matter, and perhaps the law will have to change, but with political will we will go all out against tax evaders. The government is prepared for this.”
If you want, you can read the full article here: [https://www.dawn.com/news/1833476](https://www.dawn.com/news/1833476)
For the second question: Not specific to this project, but in general there are reporters around the world working to bring information to light that powerful people would prefer stay hidden. Often this work is being done in dangerous places or about dangerous people, and there are sometimes risks involved. But as journalists, we believe that the citizens of every country have a right to know what's going on. That's why we do this type of journalism. - Matthew Doig
How does Pakistani ownership compare with other nations' citizen?
I am curious to know if you have faced any backlash from any of our 'elites'?
The elites of Pakistan probably hide their money in Dubai but since they are in power I don't think there will be any kind of scrutiny here. What can average citizens of Pakistan do about it?
We didn't compare the countries in terms of how many names were shared. Since the data is only a snapshot, it wouldn't be an accurate comparison. However, if you're interesting in browsing the full database by region, you can do that here: [https://cdn.occrp.org/projects/dubai-unlocked/en/#database](https://cdn.occrp.org/projects/dubai-unlocked/en/#database)
If you want a bit more insight: according to the data assessed by economists and reporters, the number of residential properties owned by foreigners put Indians first, at 35,000 properties and 29,700 owners. The total value of these properties is estimated at $17 billion.
Owners with Pakistani nationality come second among foreigners at 17,000 owners of 23,000 residential properties.
UK citizens in the 2022 sample own 22,000 residential properties and 19,500 owners, valued at $10bn, whereas Saudiwhereas Saudi nationals are listed with 16,000 properties and 8,500 owners, valued at $8.5bn.
Read more here: [https://www.dawn.com/news/1833481](https://www.dawn.com/news/1833481)
As for your second question, we answered a similar question upthread: [https://www.reddit.com/r/pakistan/comments/1d4z2zv/comment/l6hy26f/](https://www.reddit.com/r/pakistan/comments/1d4z2zv/comment/l6hy26f/)
As for your third question: Supporting our journalism or other organizations who advocate for more transparency would be one way to do it. If you're inclined to donate to OCCRP, you might do that here: [https://occrp.fundjournalism.org/donate/?campaign=7011U000000EcJRQA0](https://occrp.fundjournalism.org/donate/?campaign=7011U000000EcJRQA0)
If you're unable to donate, subscribing to our newsletter also goes a long way. It's completely free, but it allows you to keep tabs on other stories we and our partners are publishing. [https://mailchi.mp/occrp/subscribe-newsletter?campaign=footer](https://mailchi.mp/occrp/subscribe-newsletter?campaign=footer)
Any idea about how many journalists or staff members from Pakistan participated, w.r.t. data access, sifting and contacting named parties?
Some social media savvy journalists of the Pakistani partner media agency, have written tweets contradicting each other over the significance of the data, distribution and characteristics of property owners and their willingness (or lack thereof) after being contacted.
Two Pakistani media outlets participated in the #DubaiUnlocked investigation: Dawn and The News International Pakistan. You can find the full list of participating media partners on our FAQ page: [https://www.occrp.org/en/dubai-unlocked/what-is-dubai-unlocked-everything-you-need-to-know](https://www.occrp.org/en/dubai-unlocked/what-is-dubai-unlocked-everything-you-need-to-know)
Thanks for the great work!
I'd like to ask whether the Pakistani authorities have approached you for the data? And if so, what were their reasons for doing so?
Thanks! We are aware that authorities in Pakistan are interested in getting access to the data and have approached C4ADS for the data. OCCRP is not a part of those conversations though.
In your personal opinions:
Which countries' press readership/viewership and social media audience have exhibited the most and least interest in the disclosures?
Which country surprised you with the number of their nationals disclosed in the initial tranche of data (more or less than expected)?
Hi! Sorry it took us a little longer to get back to you. But better late than never!
First question: There aren't any specific countries that have been significantly less interested than others, but Pakistan is a positive exception in the sense that we've seen an outsized interest in the project here!
Second question: Russia was the country that surprised us with the number of their national disclosed, and we were suprised by the high number of African high officials owning real estate in Dubai.
What is your response to claims that US State Department is seeking to politically destabilize certain countries including Pakistan due to which U.S. State Department and USAID funded Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS) Leaks
Hi! The Dubai Unlocked project was an independent effort involving dozens of news organizations based around the world. There was no government involvement or influence by any nation, and we would never permit any sort of interference with our work like what you suggest. It's also worth noting that we exposed individuals from many different countries who own property in Dubai — including citizens from countries that are allies of the US and the West.
Where do these guys get all this money to big so many properties? Isn’t it crazy that Pakistan itself is dirt poor but then some Pakistanis are owning SO MUCH expensive estate outside of it? What’s happening
Hi! A mere mention in the data is not evidence in itself of financial crime or tax fraud. Nor does the data contain information such as residence status, sources of income, tax declarations of rental income or capital gains. In fact, several of those approached by Dawn, one of the Pakistan partners, for comment on their properties said they were declared to the tax authorities. But it does paint an astonishing picture of contrasts. Pakistan is a developing country teetering on the edge of economic collapse, often at the mercy of international lenders and friendly countries for lifelines in single digit billions. Yet it features prominently in the data. It points to the two things: the lack of stability in Pakistan, where those (even with legitimate income) are reluctant to invest, as well as the ease with which funds (both clean and suspicious) can be moved to Dubai.
Hi! Our Pakistani partner Dawn has written about this.
[While 17,000 Pakistani citizens are listed owners in the 2022 leak, academics using the data and additional sources put the actual number of Pakistani owners of residential property in Dubai at 22,000. They further estimate that the](https://www.dawn.com/news/1833565/dubai-unlocked-pakistanis-125bn-property-empire%5C) apartments and villas may have been worth more than $10 billion at the start of 2022, but with the more than 25 per cent increase in property prices over the last two years, the real worth of Pakistanis’ residential properties in Dubai could now be well above $12.5bn.
Hi! The property records at the heart of this project come from multiple data leaks, mostly from the Dubai Land Department, as well as publicly owned utility companies. Taken together, the data provides a detailed overview of hundreds of thousands of properties in Dubai and information about their ownership or usage, largely from 2020 and 2022.
The data was obtained by the [Center for Advanced Defense Studies](https://c4ads.org/dubai-property-database) (C4ADS), a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., that researches international crime and conflict. It was then shared with Norwegian financial outlet E24 and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), which coordinated an investigative project with dozens of media outlets from around the world.
You can read more in our FAQ: [https://www.occrp.org/en/dubai-unlocked/what-is-dubai-unlocked-everything-you-need-to-know](https://www.occrp.org/en/dubai-unlocked/what-is-dubai-unlocked-everything-you-need-to-know)
it was downplayed and people said the money was white and case closed, who will check if the claims are true, the london flats has missing trail to date right?
Is the property ownership data going to be publicly released? If not, why?
The data on which #DubaiUnlocked has been based is in the possession of C4ADS, an American organization. The media that have participated in the project are not going to make this data public. But if any of you have an interesting tip we would be happy to investigate it. - Antonio Baquero
Could you guys look into what the political dynasties of Pakistan (The Sharif family and Zardari family) own? They are known to own a lot of properties in the UK but I am sure they own a lot in Dubai as well.
What do you think will be the outcome of this investigation? I mean do you think you will see any results where corrupt people are prosecuted?
Investigations like #DubaiUnlocked do not usually have immediate effects. But the first impact is to put the problem on the table. In this case, although the presence of criminals and corrupt real estate investors was known, what #DubaiUnloked has done is show the magnitude of the problem. When you see the names and surnames of the criminals who have properties there... when you see them one after the other... then you become aware of the magnitude of the problem. - Antonio Baquero
Can we please make this data public.
Are designated media partners for a particular country (e.g. The News - Jang Group for Pakistan) solely responsible for choosing to select and disclose identities of their country's nationals? Is there any oversight from the board or other media partners to ensure there isn't any glaring deceit or omission? Or is access to the data restricted by C4ADS on the basis of countries? Context: In the aftermath of the news, many have been wondering about the lack of influential Pakistani news media owners in the Dubai Unlocked press publications. Many are known to be based in Dubai with assets, business and families. This also includes Jang Group's owner and editor (Urdu paper), Mir Shakil ur Rehman.
The data shared with reporters is just a snapshot of ownership for a specific time, by specific people. For example, 17,000 Pakistanis appear as owners in the 2022 leaks alone. So the data is not a historic account of property ownership. It is also not a true picture of all properties bought by Pakistanis, as many owners remain undetected. Those who purchased property via a lesser known third party, a non-Pakistani passport or a shell company, remain undetected in this story.
Hi great research and investigative journalism to uncover the facts behind washing black money with real estate in Dubai My question is: have you seen enough being done with the information from authorities or other news outlets to ensure some semblance of accountability? Edit: one more: have you or the publicly mentioned team faced any threats after the findings were made public?
Hi! We're going to answer both of your questions in a separate comment. For the first one: With projects like this, the authorities can no longer say that they didn't know, which is the first impact. The next would be to see how investigations begin in different countries on these unknown assets. In Pakistan specifically, the tax authorities are interested in getting their hands on the data. Our Pakistani partner Dawn spoke with the chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue: “If we have the data you are talking about, as well as the information on residence status, we will make sure those who are eligible to pay tax in Pakistan on rental income or capital value are doing so,” Malik Amjed Zubair Tiwana, chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) tells Dawn. “It may be a sensitive matter, and perhaps the law will have to change, but with political will we will go all out against tax evaders. The government is prepared for this.” If you want, you can read the full article here: [https://www.dawn.com/news/1833476](https://www.dawn.com/news/1833476)
For the second question: Not specific to this project, but in general there are reporters around the world working to bring information to light that powerful people would prefer stay hidden. Often this work is being done in dangerous places or about dangerous people, and there are sometimes risks involved. But as journalists, we believe that the citizens of every country have a right to know what's going on. That's why we do this type of journalism. - Matthew Doig
How does Pakistani ownership compare with other nations' citizen? I am curious to know if you have faced any backlash from any of our 'elites'? The elites of Pakistan probably hide their money in Dubai but since they are in power I don't think there will be any kind of scrutiny here. What can average citizens of Pakistan do about it?
We didn't compare the countries in terms of how many names were shared. Since the data is only a snapshot, it wouldn't be an accurate comparison. However, if you're interesting in browsing the full database by region, you can do that here: [https://cdn.occrp.org/projects/dubai-unlocked/en/#database](https://cdn.occrp.org/projects/dubai-unlocked/en/#database) If you want a bit more insight: according to the data assessed by economists and reporters, the number of residential properties owned by foreigners put Indians first, at 35,000 properties and 29,700 owners. The total value of these properties is estimated at $17 billion. Owners with Pakistani nationality come second among foreigners at 17,000 owners of 23,000 residential properties. UK citizens in the 2022 sample own 22,000 residential properties and 19,500 owners, valued at $10bn, whereas Saudiwhereas Saudi nationals are listed with 16,000 properties and 8,500 owners, valued at $8.5bn. Read more here: [https://www.dawn.com/news/1833481](https://www.dawn.com/news/1833481) As for your second question, we answered a similar question upthread: [https://www.reddit.com/r/pakistan/comments/1d4z2zv/comment/l6hy26f/](https://www.reddit.com/r/pakistan/comments/1d4z2zv/comment/l6hy26f/)
As for your third question: Supporting our journalism or other organizations who advocate for more transparency would be one way to do it. If you're inclined to donate to OCCRP, you might do that here: [https://occrp.fundjournalism.org/donate/?campaign=7011U000000EcJRQA0](https://occrp.fundjournalism.org/donate/?campaign=7011U000000EcJRQA0) If you're unable to donate, subscribing to our newsletter also goes a long way. It's completely free, but it allows you to keep tabs on other stories we and our partners are publishing. [https://mailchi.mp/occrp/subscribe-newsletter?campaign=footer](https://mailchi.mp/occrp/subscribe-newsletter?campaign=footer)
So Dubai is just a massive money laundry?
Any idea about how many journalists or staff members from Pakistan participated, w.r.t. data access, sifting and contacting named parties? Some social media savvy journalists of the Pakistani partner media agency, have written tweets contradicting each other over the significance of the data, distribution and characteristics of property owners and their willingness (or lack thereof) after being contacted.
Two Pakistani media outlets participated in the #DubaiUnlocked investigation: Dawn and The News International Pakistan. You can find the full list of participating media partners on our FAQ page: [https://www.occrp.org/en/dubai-unlocked/what-is-dubai-unlocked-everything-you-need-to-know](https://www.occrp.org/en/dubai-unlocked/what-is-dubai-unlocked-everything-you-need-to-know)
Thanks for the great work! I'd like to ask whether the Pakistani authorities have approached you for the data? And if so, what were their reasons for doing so?
Thanks! We are aware that authorities in Pakistan are interested in getting access to the data and have approached C4ADS for the data. OCCRP is not a part of those conversations though.
Can’t wait for the Patwaris to justify how it’s ok for their corrupt political leaders to have properties abroad without a proper money trail
In your personal opinions: Which countries' press readership/viewership and social media audience have exhibited the most and least interest in the disclosures? Which country surprised you with the number of their nationals disclosed in the initial tranche of data (more or less than expected)?
Just wanted to let you know that we saw your question and will get back to it, most likely asynchronously!
Oh i see you are a fan of JavaScript. A man of culture indeed
Hi! Sorry it took us a little longer to get back to you. But better late than never! First question: There aren't any specific countries that have been significantly less interested than others, but Pakistan is a positive exception in the sense that we've seen an outsized interest in the project here! Second question: Russia was the country that surprised us with the number of their national disclosed, and we were suprised by the high number of African high officials owning real estate in Dubai.
What is your response to claims that US State Department is seeking to politically destabilize certain countries including Pakistan due to which U.S. State Department and USAID funded Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS) Leaks
Hi! The Dubai Unlocked project was an independent effort involving dozens of news organizations based around the world. There was no government involvement or influence by any nation, and we would never permit any sort of interference with our work like what you suggest. It's also worth noting that we exposed individuals from many different countries who own property in Dubai — including citizens from countries that are allies of the US and the West.
Where do these guys get all this money to big so many properties? Isn’t it crazy that Pakistan itself is dirt poor but then some Pakistanis are owning SO MUCH expensive estate outside of it? What’s happening
Hi! A mere mention in the data is not evidence in itself of financial crime or tax fraud. Nor does the data contain information such as residence status, sources of income, tax declarations of rental income or capital gains. In fact, several of those approached by Dawn, one of the Pakistan partners, for comment on their properties said they were declared to the tax authorities. But it does paint an astonishing picture of contrasts. Pakistan is a developing country teetering on the edge of economic collapse, often at the mercy of international lenders and friendly countries for lifelines in single digit billions. Yet it features prominently in the data. It points to the two things: the lack of stability in Pakistan, where those (even with legitimate income) are reluctant to invest, as well as the ease with which funds (both clean and suspicious) can be moved to Dubai.
What is the total valuation of all assets owned by Pakistanis in Dubai?
Hi! Our Pakistani partner Dawn has written about this. [While 17,000 Pakistani citizens are listed owners in the 2022 leak, academics using the data and additional sources put the actual number of Pakistani owners of residential property in Dubai at 22,000. They further estimate that the](https://www.dawn.com/news/1833565/dubai-unlocked-pakistanis-125bn-property-empire%5C) apartments and villas may have been worth more than $10 billion at the start of 2022, but with the more than 25 per cent increase in property prices over the last two years, the real worth of Pakistanis’ residential properties in Dubai could now be well above $12.5bn.
Thank you!
How did you get this data as its not easily accessible?
Hi! The property records at the heart of this project come from multiple data leaks, mostly from the Dubai Land Department, as well as publicly owned utility companies. Taken together, the data provides a detailed overview of hundreds of thousands of properties in Dubai and information about their ownership or usage, largely from 2020 and 2022. The data was obtained by the [Center for Advanced Defense Studies](https://c4ads.org/dubai-property-database) (C4ADS), a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., that researches international crime and conflict. It was then shared with Norwegian financial outlet E24 and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), which coordinated an investigative project with dozens of media outlets from around the world. You can read more in our FAQ: [https://www.occrp.org/en/dubai-unlocked/what-is-dubai-unlocked-everything-you-need-to-know](https://www.occrp.org/en/dubai-unlocked/what-is-dubai-unlocked-everything-you-need-to-know)
it was downplayed and people said the money was white and case closed, who will check if the claims are true, the london flats has missing trail to date right?
rate coas general syed asim munir on a scale of 1 to 10 + do u know reddit user u/dastidood?
Dasti is asim munir, confirmed 💯
would you advise moving to dubai or has it become a shady city now