Irish Hotelier Accuses Qatari Royals of Scheme to Get Free Labor

According to a report published by The New York Times on 1 October 2025, an Irish hotelier has accused members of Qatar's royal family and the influential former prime minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani (HBJ) of orchestrating a scheme to obtain free labor through what the lawsuit describes as a large RICO labor-racketeering and fraud conspiracy centered on luxury hotel projects. The report details a legal action in which the hotelier alleges that the Qatari royals — with HBJ named as a co-defendant — used their power and influence to compel workers to provide unpaid labor, in what the complaint characterizes as a systematic effort to extract services without compensation across high-end hospitality developments. According to The New York Times, the lawsuit accuses the defendants of employing coercive and fraudulent tactics to force labor and to defraud partners, raising questions about the accountability of senior members of the ruling family and its inner circle for abuses that mirror the broader exploitation documented among migrant workers in Qatar. The case is presented as a rare instance in which the conduct of the Al Thani family and figures such as HBJ themselves — rather than lower-level employers or contractors — has been placed under legal scrutiny. The report notes that the allegations remain unproven and are drawn from the plaintiff's complaint, and that the defendants have denied wrongdoing. The allegations are as reported by The New York Times and reflect the claims made in the legal filing.