I was naive in Latifa case, says Robinson
FORMER President of Ireland Mary Robinson said she made “a big mistake” in the case of missing Princess Latifa Al Maktoum, who accused her father of holding her hostage.
Ms Robinson was photographed with the daughter of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, the ruler in Dubai, in 2018 during a lunch with its royal family.
Afterward, she described Princess Latifa as “a troubled young woman”.
However, a recent BBC Panorama obtained footage of video messages recorded by the princess where she said she was being kept as a “hostage” in a “villa jail”.
She escaped from Dubai in February 2018 but was forcibly returned the following month.
Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Ms Robinson, appeared on RTÉ’s The Late Late Show last night
to set the record straight.
“I made a mistake. I let my heart lead my head. I went to help a friend. I was naive. I should have been more alert,” Ms Robinson said.
She said it’s the biggest mistake she’s made and that it’s “hurtful” to realise how big of a mistake it was.
“Well that’s all I can say and that’s hurtful to me when I realise that I made a big mistake. I’ve made mistakes before and that’s the biggest one. I hope I’ll never be in that situation again.”
She was asked to attend the lunch by Princess Haya, Princess Latifa’s stepmother.
Ms Robinson said she now feels betrayed by her, someone she once called a good friend.
She said she was told that Latifa had bi-polar disorder.