Ex-soldier is held in prison over debts to Qatar bank
A FORMER Welsh soldier is being held in prison in Montenegro for failing to pay debts owed to a Qatari bank, his family says.
Michael Brown, described as a “hardworking, caring and loving man”, worked in the Middle East as a logistics manager for a construction company for several years.
But his wife Alison Brown claims the company was struggling financially and did not give him enough money to cover living costs, resulting in him feeling “pressured” to take out loans and credit cards from a bank in Qatar.
He ended up returning to his home in Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, with debts of £60,000 which have since risen to £140,000.
While he was on a cruise holiday with Alison, Michael was arrested in Montenegro on a “red notice” by international crime organisation Interpol and locked up.
His devastated family have now set up a GoFundMe page which aims to raise the £25,000 they need to pay lawyers in Montenegro, as well as legal representatives in Qatar if he ends up being extradited.
“My husband has always been a caring, loving family man who always wanted the best for his family,” said Alison. “We are in a desperate situation and we want to gain the best defence he can get and, in doing so, have him returned to the UK to be with his family and friends.”
Alison, 59, said the cruise in September was given to her by Michael, 58, as a gift ahead of her 60th birthday.
“Everything was going fine until three days before we were due to go home when Michael was asked to go downstairs with his passport,” she recalled.
“The next thing he was removed from the ship.
“By the time I got downstairs he had gone.”
Michael, who served in the British Army for 15 years and went on to become a special constable with South Wales Police, has spent the past month in a Montenegro jail sharing a cell with six other inmates.
“I’ve been trying to send him clothes but they’ve been returned to me. He’s still wearing the clothes he wore on the cruise,” Alison added.
“I’ve only been able to speak to him twice since he was put in jail. We always spent a lot of time apart as we are both ex-serving soldiers, but we always made sure we spoke to each other on the phone every day.
“I miss him terribly. He tells me he’s lost so much weight that his clothes no longer fit him.”
Alison added that Michael, a dadof-two, is adamant he does not owe the £140,000 quoted to him by the bank in Qatar.
“Yes, he has to take some blame in all of this. He never mentioned to me that he was in such bad financial trouble. I think he was too embarrassed,” she said.
“I’ve asked for official bank statements but all I was just given initially were Word documents. We are being quoted all sorts of different numbers in regards to what he owes.
“If this goes on for a long time I might end up in a position where I have to sell the house.”
Alison said Michael, who also helped with the construction of the Principality Stadium and the Millennium Centre during his time in logistics, was attempting to pay off his debts every month.
She said he was advised by his doctor not to return to Qatar after suffering a mental breakdown and having a heart attack.
Alison said: “He has suffered from depression in the past, and has had multiple heart attacks.
“He needs to be under his consultant in the UK, but he has already missed one appointment by being imprisoned in Montenegro.”
■ If you would like to donate, visit www.gofundme.com/f/uqv2s -bring-mick-home