The man behind the naked Dubai photoshoot scandal could be jailed for 18 months while the models are still being held.
Vitaliy Grechin, 41, —a US passport holder and Kyiv-based businessman— reportedly organized the scandalous photoshoot.
Grechin is believed to be in custody despite earlier reports from the local media that he already left the Emirates.
The 41-year-old has only been arrested at this stage, however, the local media reported that he could face one and a half years behind bars.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian models who posed naked on a high-rise balcony are still in detention and waiting to be deported. The Ukrainian news outlet reports that the women are expected to be deported soon but the exact timing is still unknown.
In addition to prison time, they will have to pay a fine of around $1,300 for violating public decency laws in the UAE.
This was seen as a merciful treatment because, under Sharia law, the people involved in the scandalous photoshoot could have been jailed for six months for offending public morality.
Grechin is a wealthy businessman and has been photographed with well-known politicians and celebrities like Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, George Clooney, Sylvester Stallone, and Viktor Yanukovych Jr, the late son of the former Ukrainian president.
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According to another report, some of the models had refused to undress for the naked photoshoot.point 208 |
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Stephane Clavel, 44, and an associate of Grechin’s has denied being present in Dubai when the offensive incident happened.
“I know some of the girls, not all who were there, but some of them,” Clavel told TSN. “We are friends, they were at my birthday party in Dubai.”
Clavel explained that his birthday was in January, and he said Grechin had invited him to last week’s event in Dubai but he refused to go.
“I know Grechin, he has a fetish related to photos, he loves to take millions of photos,” Clavel said. “He probably gave a bit of alcohol to girls, so they were sexier, they caught the courage, and ended up naked on the balcony, which is prohibited in Dubai.”