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Deel’s CEO is now in Dubai, complicating Rippling’s lawsuit
Ripple’s efforts to serve Deel CEO Alex Bouaziz have been significantly complicated by the fact that he and his lawyer are now in Dubai. The UAE is a country with a reputation for being a safe haven for those wanting to avoid extradition.
Rippling is attempting to serve Bouaziz as part of its blockbuster lawsuit against Deel in Ireland. However, French bailiffs were unable to locate Bouaziz at an apartment in Paris in his native France last week. The lawsuit accuses Bouaziz of bribing a Rippling employee in Ireland, Keith O’Brien, and the affidavit from the alleged ‘spy’ reads like it’s out of a movie.
Bouaziz is not the only one in Dubai, as Deel’s legal director Asif Malik has also relocated to the UAE. Malik, a UK citizen, allegedly offered to relocate O’Brien, Deel’s alleged spy, to Dubai and pay his legal costs in exchange for refusing to cooperate with Rippling, according to O’Brien’s affidavit.
The UAE’s legal environment makes it difficult for authorities to extradite individuals, according to European authorities. While the country has recently stepped up extraditions of some long-wanted criminals, its reputation as a safe haven for those seeking to avoid extradition remains intact.
Bouaziz’s father, Deel’s CFO, who O’Brien claims oversaw payments to him and knew of the scheme, currently lists his location as Dubai on LinkedIn.
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/15/deels-ceo-is-now-in-dubai-complicating-ripplings-lawsuit/
