The man who has bought freedom for 4,500 prisoners

Luxury cars abandoned at the airport by expatriates fleeing to avoid being jailed for debts became one of the enduring images of the financial crisis in Dubai. With the law in the United Arab Emirates making it a criminal offence to default on debts (including issuing a bounced cheque), those convicted have to serve time in prison as well as repay their debt - if you can't raise the funds, you will languish in jail even if you have served your sentence. Among the worst hit were labourers lured by the construction boom in West Asia and small-time businessmen, jailed for being unable to pay creditors. It was on hearing about their plight that Firoz Merchant, chairman of UAE-based jewellery chain Pure Gold Jewellers, decided he would provide financial assistance to foreigners remaining in prison because they were unable to clear their debts. In a telephonic interview, Merchant, who was ranked 14th by Forbes in its list of 100 Indian business leaders in UAE, says he has helped 4,500 prisoners repay their debt and return home since he began his initiative in 2011.

"People usually donate money to charitable causes in the health and education sectors but I thought something needed to be done here," says Merchant, who shifted to Dubai from Mumbai in 1989. He then met the secretary of UAE's interior ministry and asked how he could help, and was put in touch with the different director generals of police and consulates, with whom he coordinates to get the released prisoners an out-pass (a document issued to those who do not have proper travel papers, such as a passport).

Now, a list of prisoners prepared by the authorities is sent to Merchant every month and he says he helps between 1,500 and 2,000 people a year. "I help only those who landed in debt during a financial crisis, not those imprisoned for crimes like murder, rape or anything related to drugs," he clarifies. But he adds that he aids prisoners regardless of their nationality or religion. The assistance is in the form of money to clear the debt and air tickets to return home. On average, he spends Rs 5-6 lakh on each prisoner, though the amount differs from case to case. "When the breadwinner of the family is imprisoned, it's as if the whole family is in prison," he says. Merchant also contributes to the Faraj Fund, an Abu Dhabi-based relief fund set up by the interior ministry for prisoners' welfare.

Recently, Merchant says he gave 61,000 dirhams to help Zahir Niaz Usmani, an Indian who had been sentenced to 19 years of imprisonment when he was 24 years old. Usmani had already served 11 years of the sentence but did not have the money to pay the penalty, which is where Merchant came in. "He had missed his father's funeral because he was in jail, and says he had learnt a big lesson. I told him that he has a new lease of life now," says Merchant, who meets some of the prisoners he helps.

Shashi Tharoor, Union minister for human resource development, says while he was not aware of Merchant's efforts to help prisoners, he had met him at the Forbes awards for Indian business leaders where he had made an appeal for solidarity with deluge-hit Uttarakhand. "When Merchant came up to collect his award, he promptly announced he would donate $50,000. This showed his generosity of spirit," says Tharoor.

Merchant says he does receive appeals from families of people in prison and he then contacts the jail authorities for their opinion. "They check the details of the case and then let me know," he says, emphasising that he never interferes in cases in any other way, and sticks to the list of recommended prisoners sent to him. He now plans to extend his aid to prisoners in Saudi Arabia because being the largest country in the Gulf Cooperation Council, Merchant feels there would be a lot of prisoners who would be in need of help. "I also want to appeal to other businessmen to join hands with the government and come forward to help. Recently, another Indian businessman in the real estate sector paid for some 50 prisoners' airfare," he says.