Widow's battle for survival against her late husband's business

An Indian widow in Dubai says her family's survival is at stake in a tussle for control of her late husband's business. Sabina Malik said she inherited her late husband's share of a trucks parts business, but claims the management told her to "leave the company alone". Sabina, 42, said her pleas for an independent company audit "to see where I stand" were repeatedly turned down. The mother-of-two alleged that an audit eventually took place revealing "massive misappropriation of funds". "The company wants to liquidate - sell everything - now that my husband's gone. What about the missing funds? Sabina, who has been a UAE resident for 20 years, said she works for the company but was not being paid because she filed embezzlement charges. This has led to huge financial problems. Her children's school fees have not been settled since April and the house rent was deposited a year late. Sabina said she had to pay for her visa renewal because the company refused responsibility. Her kids, Sarah, 12, and Ahmad, 14, study in JSS Private School, Dubai. Sabina added that she does not even have money for Ramadan shopping and has to think twice before buying anything. She said that though her family and friends try to support her financially she does not want to burden anyone. "This fight is about my children's future. My husband had built the company, it was his investment. He had sold our Dubai villa to pump money into the business when times were bad," Sabina said. Her husband died of a heart attack last June after battling kidney failure and other illnesses stemming from diabetes. "My children never got to play sports with their father or run in the park. Instead, they used to help with his dialysis treatment at home." She added: "My mother wants to sell her home in Mumbai for my sake, but I can't let her do that. I don't want anyone to suffer because of me. "I barely make the rent. I'm fortunate we haven't been kicked out, and the school is supportive, but how long can this go on?