Nancy Bennett told The Times her husband was "anxious and frightened" after recounting how he was allegedly detained and mistreated following his arrest at the offices of his employer Qatar Airways before being left in "legal limbo" confined to a hotel room in Doha.
Ten weeks after his arrest, Bennett, 52, was found hanged. Authorities in Qatar recorded his death as a suicide, but a British coroner ruled that there was "no specific evidence of suicidal intent", The Times reports.
Bennett was a prominent figure in travel having held high-ranking roles with both Thomas Cook and Tui. In 2017, he became vice-president of Discover Qatar, a subsidiary of state-owned Qatar Airways, and was tasked with modernising Qatar’s tourism industry working closely with Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar al-Baker.
He handed in his notice in September 2019 while he was reportedly considering a job with a Saudi travel business, one that would allow him to spend more time in the UK.
After returning to the UK, he was asked to return to Doha in October. It was then Qatar Airways, according to The Times, said evidence had come to light he had been sending confidential documents to a private email address. As the discovery was made while Bennett was in Qatar, he was arrested and detained.
The paper on Thursday (29 September) reported how Bennett recounted his treatment at the hands of his detainees, which saw him subjected to physical and psychological interrogation. He was released after three weeks on 10 November but had no way to leave the country as his passport had been confiscated.
His wife said he had hoped to be deported or be obliged to leave Qatar having not been charged with any wrongdoing after his case was reported to the Foreign Office and passed to the embassy in Doha.
His family were alerted to his death on Christmas night. Mrs Bennett said there were still "so many questions" unanswered.
The Foreign Office closed the case in September 2021 shortly after Liz Truss was appointed foreign secretary, confirming it had provided assistance to Bennett’s family following his death in Doha.
The Times said authorities in Qatar did not respond to its request for comment.
