Malcolm Munroe owned a construction firm but after he
had a stroke three years ago it collapsed and he has now been handed a
three-year jail term
A pensioner stuck in a Dubai hospital faces a prison
sentence because his business went under.
Malcolm Munroe, 70, had a stroke three years ago and has
been bedbound ever since.
His construction company crashed after his illness and
creditors demanded payment.
After a court case in Dubai, he was handed a three year
jail term over the unpaid debts.
Mr Munroe can barely move his head, is fed through a
tube and is connected to an oxygen tank.
His wife and sons are 4,600 miles away after she flew to
the UK for cancer treatment.
And his family say anyone linked to his company risks
arrest if they set foot in Dubai.
His sister, Diane Kirkwood, 68, has appealed to MPs, the
Foreign Office, the UK Embassy in Dubai and even Prince Charles in a bid to
help her brother.
She told the Manchester Evening News: “It is
heartbreaking for his wife, sons and us.
"We cannot go to visit him, we have to wait until
somebody he knew in Dubai goes to see him and lets us know how he is.
“One person sends a photograph of him each week just
lying in hospital.
“He turned 70 last November and we wonder how much
longer he can survive.”
Malcolm, from Chorlton, Manchester, moved to the Middle
East in the 1980s and later set up his own firm, employing hundreds of men.
While there he married his Ukrainian wife Olga and the
couple have two sons, Alexandre, 16, and Paul, 14.
When Olga, 40, became ill, she and the boys flew back to
Manchester.
Malcolm later suffered a massive stroke and was rushed
to the Rashid Hospital in 2013.
Diane says the Dubai government later closed his company
and in 2014 several creditors came forward.
His family say when they later asked the Foreign Office
for advice about visiting the stricken pensioner, officials could not guarantee
they would be able to pass through passport control without being stopped.
His sister said: “Anybody connected with the company
will be asked to pay the debts owed when they enter the country.
"We wanted to visit for his 70th birthday but we
were worried we would be stopped. We are worried we wouldn’t get any further
than the airport.”
Friends have raised money to pay for a private flight to
bring Malcolm back to the UK to continue his treatment.
But his sister said the Dubai authorities must first
agree to release him.
“It is so sad to think his two sons, his wife and his
family may never get to see him again. His family are in a mess and his sons
are pining for him” she said.
“He moves his head from side to side and blinks, that’s
it. Our friend says sometimes a tear will trickle down his face when he shows
him pictures of the boys or Olga.
“You close your eyes and just picture him lying there
with no family there to see him.
“We can’t afford to pay solicitors fees as my husband
and I are both pensioners and Malcolm’s wife can’t afford it.
"But we’d appreciate any advice. We never thought
it would go on for so long."
Wife Olga said: "I am heartbroken about the
situation my husband is in. He was a very loving husband and a loving father.
He is everything to me and the family.
"I need to stay positive for my children. People
see my face and then think I am happy, but I hide my sadness. I don't want
people to see my problems.
"I cry every night thinking about my husband.
"I want my husband to come back home. I spent a
year by his bedside when he first fell ill. I was with him every day. Doctors
told me not to come every day.
"I told them he could hear me. I played him music.
I exercised his hands. And then one day he opened his eyes.
"It's heartbreaking for me to be away from him. Now
when I send him pictures he cries when he looks at them.
"But I can't leave my children. I left my children
for a year to look after him and I can't do it again.
"My husband is a lovely man. His heart is like a
diamond. He always wants to help people.
"It's so hard for my children as well. They miss
him terribly. They need their father.
"I am positive and I have hope that one day he will
talk again and that I can bring him home and he can be with me and his
family."
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