A FAMILY is battling to bring home a Newport man who is stuck in Dubai after picking up almost £40,000 in speeding tickets in a rented Lamborghini.

25-year-old Farah Hashi, from Pill, is stranded because his British passport is being held by the car hire firm who rented him the £160,000 supercar.

The company is refusing to give him back his passport until the fine is paid.

According to his brother, Mr Hashi is stuck in the Middle East because he cannot afford to pay the fines, and has no way of getting his passport back.

“It is so corrupt. I don’t know how they can legally withhold his passport", his brother, Adman, a delivery company manager, said.

"They came to his hotel and demanded he hand it over after the speeding ticket came through, and out of fear he gave it to them.

"Now they say he must pay £40,000. It is ridiculous.

"There is no way he has that money. He is out of work at the minute and went to Dubai to visit friends.

"He was supposed to be there for five days and fly back last week but now he is stuck in his hotel room.

"He’s had to extend his stay and we have no idea how he will get home."

Mr Hashi racked up the fines in less than four hours last Tuesday after setting off every speed camera on the Sheikh Zayed Road in the £160,000 supercar.

The car has now been impounded by officials in Dubai and the dealership says it cannot get it back until the fine is paid.

Bosses at the dealership that owns the Lamborghini Huracán claim Mr Hashi left his passport as a guarantee.

But his brother disputes this – saying Mr Hashi's passport was seized after he had driven the car.

Mr Hashi has been forced to borrow money to pay for the extended hotel stay, his brother said.

"He didn’t even pay to hire the car. One of his friends had sorted it out for him", his brother said.

"He was caught doing 200kmph but he didn’t know the laws over there.

"We just want to make sure he can get home ok."

Dealership partner Faris Mohammed Iqbal said: "We can't pay this amount should the car be taken into impound, it's still with the tourist, parked at his hotel and I won't be trying to take it back.

"Then who pays the money for the impound? We shouldn't do so for sure, it's his fault and he should pay that amount."