EXW Ponzi fugitive Manuel Batista has been arrested and detained in Dubai.

Court records reveal Batista was arrested in connection with Criminal case 40273, filed earlier this year. On December 12th, a Dubai court ordered Batista detained pending trial.

Beyond assaulting a woman, specifics of fraud charges laid against Batista in Dubai are unclear.

As reported by Kleine Zeitung on December 17th;

B. was arrested in Dubai on the night of December 1st to 2nd. However, not (only) on fraud charges, but following a complaint of assault from December 2024. The 36-year-old is accused by a woman of physically attacking and injuring her.

According to available information, the 36-year-old has had several run-ins with the Dubai justice system, mostly due to debts he owed to “business partners.” However, after settling the outstanding debts, B. was released each time.

This time, though, the Italian national’s bail offer was rejected by the authorities.

The order appears to have been made for seven days. It’s unclear whether that was extended or when Batista is scheduled to face trial in Dubai.

In addition to charges filed in Dubai, Batista remains a wanted fugitive on EXW criminal charges in Austria.

EXW, or Exchange Wallet, was a typical MLM crypto Ponzi launched in 2019.

Kleine Zeitung additionally reports EXW founder Benjamin Herzog has also fled to Dubai.

Herzog pled guilty to EXW fraud charges in Austria in December 2023. He was sentenced to five years in prison in October 2024.

Citing a prison furlough, Austrian authorities granted Herzog a temporary release from prison in November. Herzog failed to report back to the prison, instead opting to flee too Dubai.

Why Austrian authorities did not assess Herzog, who is also facing additional PrivaFund criminal charges, as a flight risk is unclear.

Austrian authorities have pegged EXW losses at €25 million euros. PrivaFund investor losses are pegged at €12 million euros.

Prior to granting Herzog release so he could flee, Austrian authorities have not confirmed whether any EXW or PrivaFund investor funds have been recovered.