Prague court issues arrest warrant for Qatari prince

A Prague court issued on Tuesday an international arrest warrant for Qatari prince Hamid bin Abdul Sani al-Thani over a pending trial for sex abuse, a spokeswoman for the court said. In 2005, the prince was sentenced to 2.5 years in jail for sex with underage girls; however, an appellate court has been unable to deliver the subpoena to the prince.

Between 2001 and 2004, Hamid bin Abdul Sani al-Thani allegedly paid to have sex with four girls aged under 15. Just days after he was charged by the Czech authorities, then justice minister Pavel Němec ordered his release on a promise that he would be prosecuted in Qatar. However, local prosecution dropped the case two years later.

Author: Jan Richter