Sahni will be deported after serving his sentence.
Dubai-based Indian businessman Balvinder Singh Sahni has been sentenced to five years in prison for money laundering.
The Dubai Fourth Criminal Court found Sahni guilty of laundering money through a criminal organisation.
It also ordered the confiscation of 150 million Dirham (£30 million) from him and imposed a fine of 500,000 Dirham (£102,000).
Also known as “Abu Sabah”, Sahni will be deported after serving his sentence.
He is the founder and chairman of the RSG Group of Companies, a multi-billion-dirham empire operating across the UAE, the US, India and South Asia.
Sahni made headlines in 2016 when he paid AED 33 million (£6.7 million) for the “D5” license plate in Dubai, a move that turned him into a symbol of opulence in the Emirates.
He was born in Kuwait City on 7 April 1972 and is of Punjabi heritage.
Sahni began his entrepreneurial career at the age of 18 after dropping out of a business management course.
He started in the automotive spare parts trade before expanding into property development and investments.
RSG Group’s portfolio includes Qasr Sabah, a £92 million housing complex in Dubai Sports City, and Burj Sabah, a 24-storey tower in Jumeirah Village Circle valued at £37 million.
Their hospitality ventures include Sabah Rotana, a five-star hotel near Umm Suqeim, and Jebel Ali Central Rotana, a four-star property close to Jebel Ali Metro Station.
Sahni owns a mansion in Dubai reportedly worth £75 million. His car collection includes Rolls-Royces and a Mercedes-AMG G63.
The interiors of his home feature bespoke Bentley furniture and a Bugatti Chiron on display.
In interviews, Sahni often described his fondness for luxury and numerology.
He previously said: “I like collecting unique number plates and I am proud to have got this number. I like number nine and D5 adds up to nine, so I went for it.”
He also spent AED 24.5 million (£5 million) on the “O9” plate and AED 4.5 million (£919,000) on the mobile number 058-8888888.
Sahni justified these purchases as contributions to charity and infrastructure, citing Dubai’s lack of income tax.
Outside of business, Sahni is known for philanthropy in Punjab, India.
After his father Amrik Singh passed away in 2004, he built “Apna Ghar”, an old-age home in Amritsar.
He later constructed a tuberculosis hospital and India’s largest facility for the deaf and mute in memory of his mother Harbans Kaur Sahni, who died in 2007.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, he donated AED 1 million (£204,000) to Abu Dhabi’s “Together We Are Good” initiative.
He also supported medical research and charity fundraisers across the region.
In 2020, Sahni was named “Businessman of the Year” at the Sikh Awards in Dubai.
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