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A WHEELCHAIR-BOUND American octogenarian had his long-running travel ban lifted just hours after the GDN highlighted his plight.
After nearly 14 years of anxiety and stress, frail Fred Donnelly is finally free and arranging to fly back to England with his British wife, Julie, before taking the onward journey to the US for vital spinal surgery.
“We are so happy and grateful to everyone who helped,” said Mr Donnelly with tears of joy in his eyes.
The dispute over a BD162,000 loan taken by Mr Donnelly and his former Bahraini and British partners for a failed telecommunications venture has been ‘resolved’, a representative of the private bank involved told the GDN.
“We reached out to the customer, and the issue has been resolved, and we thank the GDN for bringing it to our attention,” added the representative.
Mr Donnelly...finally free to leave the country
Mr Donnelly received a call from the bank just hours after the GDN hit the newsstands and thousands of GDNonline subscribers read about his desperate appeal.
Although his former British business partner was allowed to leave, the 80-year-old’s travel ban remained in place after the bank filed a legal case, which was resolved in 2019. Since then, he had been unsuccessfully fighting a legal battle to get his name removed from the blacklist.
The merciful move followed Mr Donnelly’s letter politely requesting release from the Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs, as highlighted in the GDN.
“We can’t believe it happened so quickly after that, and we’re so grateful – it’s like finally feeling free after a long time,” added Mr Donnelly.
An emotional Mrs Donnelly expressed relief that further administrative hurdles had also been removed. “When the bank called, we were supposed to go to the immigration office on Monday (yesterday) but we were later told not to because the bank had completed all the formalities on our behalf,” she told the GDN.
“I was concerned about having to take Fred down to the offices because he is immobile and very weak. To ensure that everything is in order, I contacted our lawyer, who confirmed that the ban had been lifted and that we were free to leave.”
The Donnellys are now busy finalising travel arrangements in Bahrain, the UK and the US. “We haven’t been home in a long time, and we need to get our health insurances in order before we travel because our immediate priority is Fred’s treatment,” she said.
“We have things to finalise here, as well as his ongoing treatment. If all goes well, we hope to fly back by the end of March, and our first stop will be the UK.”
Mr Donnelly with his wife Julie at their Saar home
As previously reported, Mr Donnelly underwent spinal cord surgery in Bahrain and needs to go under the knife again. He aims to return to his home in Chester, Pennsylvania, to receive additional surgery, which would be provided free of charge because he is a former US serviceman.
The couple lives in Saar and Mrs Donnelly thanked the expatriate community, friends and others for their kindness over their years.
“I remember The Very Rev’d Chris Butt, former Dean of St Christopher’s Cathedral, and many friends, both from the local and expat community, who were there for us when times were tough,” she said.
“It’s a little overwhelming as we prepare to leave the country, but I also have some great memories to cherish, particularly with the animal friends’ community,” said the dog lover, who once had five adopted pets.
“I adore animals and used to volunteer in the community and participate in animal shelter fundraisers – wonderful memories.”
raji@gdn.com.bh
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