Sensational: City’s Abu Dhabi CEO was given diplomatic immunity 6 years ago

Manchester City’s chief executive was given diplomatic immunity six years ago, and this step could complicate any legal proceedings in connection with the Premier League club, which is accused of having “inflated” its finances by more than £900 million.

Khaldoon al-Mubarak, a senior official from Abu Dhabi who has run City since 2008, was included on the official list of diplomats who benefit from diplomatic immunity, approved by the United Kingdom in 2020. This automatically guarantees him immunity from any criminal investigation and, in most cases, protects the person from civil proceedings on British territory.

On Tuesday, the Premier League announced that an independent commission had found the City club guilty of all the charges relating to serious breaches of the financial rules, following an investigation launched in 2018.