A South Australian man is appealing for federal government help after getting stuck in Saudi Arabia, and unable to return to his family, due to a court ruling.

The trouble began for Abdullah Balhaddad, who lives in Murray Bridge, when he bought a residential unit in Al Khobar, a city on the Persian Gulf, as an investment.

To protect his investment, he installed three security cameras: One at the door, one in a carport, and a third in a higher-up window, facing the street.

But a neighbour took him to court, arguing that the second and third cameras infringed upon her privacy.

The court found in her favour, so Balhaddad agreed to remove those cameras.

But an inspector allegedly found one remained, leading to a higher court to order enforcement action against him.

On May 4, while he was out of the country, the Dammam Enforcement Court froze Balhaddad’s business assets, revoked his work permit, ordered that he be fined 1000 riyals ($380) a day until the camera was removed, and banned him from leaving Saudia Arabia.

Balhaddad told Murray Bridge News he had no way of proving he had complied with the court order – it was his word against the complainant’s.

He said he learned of the travel ban only when he returned to Saudi Arabia and then tried to come home to Australia.

“They said, ‘You are not allowed to leave’,” he said.

“Nobody told me that – I can’t check the system overseas.

“Now I am stuck.

“I want to go back to my family, but I can’t go back now.”

Balhaddad’s appeals for a reprieve from the Saudi government, including an email to Deputy Enforcement Minister Saleh bin Abdullah Al-Suwaii, have been turned down.

Nor had the Australian embassy provided much help. Now he wants Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the federal government to step in.

“This can happen to any other Australian,” he said.

“I don’t think this is the right way to encourage tourism or bring investment to Saudi Arabia.”

DFAT aware of the case

The Department of Foreign Affairs told Murray Bridge News it had provided consular assistance to an Australian citizen in Saudi Arabia.

A spokesman cited privacy reasons and declined to provide further comment.

According to DFAT’s consular services charter, the department may provide general advice and support to Australians facing legal issues overseas.

The department cannot give legal advice or intervene in foreign judicial systems, meaning it cannot get Australians out of prison or remove travel bans.

DFAT advises Australians to exercise a high degree of caution when travelling to Saudi Arabia due to its unpredictable security situation, including threats of international conflict and terrorism.

Republished from InDaily