Contempt proceedings: committal warrants extended as defendants remain at large

The High Court has extended warrants for committal against Mr Karim Ouajjou and Ms Yasmin Al Sahoud Perez for further two years after they failed to submit themselves to the jurisdiction of the English Court and serve the custodial sentences imposed on them for contempt of court.

The warrants arise from serious breaches of worldwide freezing orders made in the proceedings brought by Shahraab Ahmad. In Ahmad v Ouajjou and Perez [2024] EWHC 1096 (Comm), the defendants admitted contempt and were sentenced to immediate terms of imprisonment. Their subsequent appeal against sentence was dismissed by the Court of Appeal in Ahmad v Ouajjou & Anor [2024] EWCA Civ 1480.

The extension of the warrants is both a continuation of the contempt process and a practical reminder of the English court’s willingness to protect the integrity of its own orders. It confirms that the consequences of contempt do not fall away because a respondent has not been brought before the Court, and that warrants can be maintained where necessary to give effect to earlier orders.

The contempt proceedings formed part of a wider dispute arising from PPE purchase-loan arrangements. The underlying claim resulted in a substantial judgment of more than €105m (£90.55m) in favour of Mr Ahmad.