JUBA – Former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Kush Bank South Sudan and Canadian Ryan O’Grady, who was jailed in Dubai, says he fears he could die if extradited to South Sudan after spending six months in prison in the United Arab Emirates fighting corruption allegations he describes as politically motivated.
O’Grady, 47, was arrested in Dubai in November 2025 following an extradition request by South Sudanese authorities over accusations of breach of trust during his tenure with the bank. The former CEO says the case was brought against him after he exposed multimillion-dollar corruption schemes inside the bank.
Speaking from Al Awir Central Prison in Dubai through a voice message shared by his wife and reported by The Globe and Mail, O’Grady said he has come to terms with the possibility that he may never return home.
“I’m resigned to the stark reality that never again will I see my wife and daughter,” he said as quoted by the Canadian newspaper.
O’Grady warned that extradition to South Sudan would amount to “a death sentence,” citing poor prison conditions and fears of torture and mistreatment.
“The conditions here are harsh. It took five-and-a-half months to be examined by a doctor and finally to receive medicine,” he said from prison. “This process has cost me my savings, my income, my reputation, the safety and stability of my family, my freedom, and now in all probability my life.”
O’Grady served as CEO of Kush Bank between 2022 and 2023. According to him, the bank’s board had tasked him with restructuring the institution and cleaning up its finances. He claims his efforts led to the resignation of a previous executive and the cancellation of a management buyout deal.
He says tensions escalated after he attempted to improve transparency and tackle corruption within the institution, eventually forcing him to leave South Sudan after receiving death threats.
“When you do that, you come head-to-head with the bad actors who profit in the dark corners and shady deals,” he said. “Those of us who’ve tried to shed light on that darkness and build something good for the people of South Sudan – we’re losing badly.”
After resigning from the bank in 2023, O’Grady relocated to Dubai. In a previous statement, he said he had expanded Kush Bank’s client base by 68 percent while increasing revenues and profitability during his tenure.
He also claimed he was subjected to a 19-month investigation by Interpol after South Sudan reportedly issued a notice against him. According to O’Grady, no evidence was presented against him during the proceedings in Dubai, and he was allegedly not allowed to appear in court.
The UAE court rulings reportedly provide little detail about the accusations beyond a breach-of-trust charge.
The case has drawn concern from former Canadian diplomat Nicholas Coghlan, who described the situation as appearing to be a “major miscarriage of justice.”
Coghlan said South Sudan’s prisons are notorious for overcrowding, poor sanitation, and lack of health care, adding that the Canadian government should intervene at the highest level to prevent O’Grady’s extradition.
Meanwhile, Global Affairs Canada confirmed it is aware of the detention of a Canadian citizen in the UAE and is providing consular support, though it declined to comment further due to privacy considerations.
According to Ruth Marrocco, an assistant to Conservative MP Philip Lawrence, Canadian officials in Dubai have formally opposed the extradition request and repeatedly raised concerns over due process, fair trial guarantees, and the risk of mistreatment if O’Grady is transferred to South Sudan.
