Money Laundering and Real Estate… Heavy U.S. Accusations Pursue Hemeidti in UAE

A new investigation by the U.S.-based organization The Sentry details heavy accusations linking Janjaweed commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (“Hemeidti”) to a real estate portfolio in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

According to property records cited in the investigation, Hemeidti purchased three apartments in Dubai in 2020 near Al Minhad Air Base.

The properties were initially registered in his name before being transferred in July 2022 to Prodigious Property Management, a company registered in the United Arab Emirates, for administration and oversight.

The report further states that Prodigious is wholly owned by Abu Dhar Abdel Nabi Habib Allah Ahmed, also known as Abuzar Habib, who was sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury in 2025 due to his ownership of Capital Tap Holding Group, which U.S. authorities accuse of providing financial and military support to the militia.

Nick Donovan, an investigator at The Sentry, told Darfur 24 that this forms part of a broader financial network. He said the same individual who owns the company holding the properties was also responsible for Capital Tap Holding, which the United States accuses of supplying the militia with weapons and funds.

Donovan described the findings as another example of how the UAE’s financial system, banking infrastructure, and corporate legal frameworks have enabled foreign entities to establish companies within the country—structures the militia is said to have used to facilitate gold purchases and smuggling operations.

He noted that the findings constitute the third report issued by the organization documenting financial and operational links between Hemeidti’s network, the militia, and the United Arab Emirates. Multiple investigations, he added, accuse the Gulf state of involvement in arms transfers, mercenary support, and gold flows linked to the forces.

Investigators estimated the combined value of the three residential properties at just under $1 million. Prodigious is also reported to own a commercial property in Dubai valued at approximately $670,000. The report states that the properties generated no less than $80,000 annually in rental income between 2023 and 2025.

The properties were identified through leaked Dubai land registry records obtained by the Center for Advanced Defense Studies and verified with the support of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).

The organization called on the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom to consider imposing sanctions on Prodigious and its owner. It also urged financial institutions and real estate professionals to conduct enhanced due diligence on transactions potentially linked to the Hemeidti network.

Furthermore, the group recommended that law enforcement agencies investigate property acquisitions associated with the Hemeidti family and affiliated entities, and called on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to prioritize scrutiny of the UAE’s real estate sector during its upcoming 2026 mutual evaluation on anti-money laundering enforcement.