US veteran JAILED in Dubai 'hell hole' over bank debts will never be allowed to leave

Afghanistan soldier with PTSD jailed in Abu Dhabi, reveals hellish prison conditions

A 44 year old PTSD sufferer and Afghanistan veteran (Army & Navy) has been detained in Dubai over a bank debt he was working to repay. The war survivor accepted a UAE government contract in 2012 following his role in Afghanistan. He relocated, settled in and like any new expat will experience, he was aggressively hounded by local bank ADCB, he decided to accept a loan to buy a property there.

The father of three and grandfather, Shannon Johnston, originally from West Virginia before moving to Alabama, was unexpectedly diagnosed with a neurological issue that caused him to urgently need to return to the US for specialist medical care. This left him in default and the bank immediately, as is standard, presented the security cheque provided by him when taking out the loan. “It is standard practice in the UAE for banks to request a blank cheque as security against a loan”, said Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai and Due Process International, who has been dealing with these cases for almost a decade and a half. “In the event of any default, the bank will present the cheque and if it bounces, it becomes a criminal offence, regardless of the circumstances”. Shannon was not aware of this.