Reports have emerged that the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, used agents of both Dubai and the United Arab Emirates to hack into and monitor the phones of his ex-wife, her legal advisors, staff, and other contacts in the midst of a custody battle concerning their two children. The UK high court discovered the intrusions, which represent a significant breach of trust and illegal activity. Andrew McFarlane, the UK’s most senior family court judge, stated on Wednesday that it had been confirmed that Skeikh Mohammed used the Pegasus spyware licensed to Dubai and the UAE by an Israeli company called NGO Group to hack into Princess Haya’s phone.

According to the court, the software had the capacity to track the targets’ locations, listen to phone calls, access contact lists, passwords, calendars, photographs, and read messages received through SMS, apps, and email. McFarlane called the act an abuse of power. Sheikh Mohammed has allegedly shown no sign of remorse for his action and instead has hired a formidable forensic team to challenge the findings of the court and fight the case against Princess Haya on every point to obtain custody of the children.