Edgar Davids Art Fraud Case Delayed Again

The long-running fraud case over Edgar Davids’s missing art collection took another twist in London on Friday, as the woman who admitted pawning his works for loans worth a fraction of their value failed to appear for sentencing.

Nearly five years after she was first charged, and more than a year after she pleaded guilty, 39-year-old wealth manager Nabila Habiby was absent from Wood Green Crown Court, with her lawyers claiming she had been injured on her way to the airport.

Concussion claim halts sentencing

Defence barrister Hannah Thomas told the court she had received a message on Friday morning explaining Habiby’s no-show.

“On her way to the airport to come here she had been hit on the head by a piece of luggage en route,” Thomas said. She added that Habiby had suffered a concussion, lost consciousness and was taken to hospital in Belgium, where she was said to be “on a drip”.

Judge Emma Deacon was not convinced by the paperwork provided to back up that account, describing the medical evidence from Belgium as “inadequate”. Even so, she agreed to adjourn the hearing so that the original judge, who took Habiby’s guilty pleas, could eventually pass sentence.

For Davids, the delay drags on a saga that began almost a decade ago.

From trusted adviser to fraud

The former Netherlands international, who played for clubs including Tottenham Hotspur, Juventus and Barcelona, had turned to Habiby for help during a house move in December 2014. He handed her the keys to his home in Hadley Wood, Hertfordshire, as he shifted to an apartment in central London.

Habiby, then acting as his wealth manager, was supposed to arrange storage for his possessions. Instead, she took 37 paintings and works of art from his collection to pawnbrokers, using them as collateral for loans totalling £31,500.

The pieces included works by contemporary artists Paul Insect and Ron English, which Davids had bought from the Opera Gallery in New York between 2006 and 2012. The collection was valued at £188,000.

Davids only discovered the loss after Habiby defaulted on the loans. The pawn shops sold on the art to collectors around the world, and one buyer later contacted Davids to ask about the history of a painting – triggering the alarm.

Guilty pleas, repeated delays

Following an investigation by London’s Metropolitan Police into fraud offences dating back to 2015 and 2016, Habiby was charged and eventually pleaded guilty in September 2025 to two counts of fraud. She was released on bail and warned she could face up to 34 months in prison.

Sentencing has been stalled ever since.

The first attempt in March collapsed when Habiby tried, unsuccessfully, to withdraw her guilty pleas. Friday’s listing was supposed to resolve the case. Instead, it produced another postponement and fresh frustration for those waiting for closure.

Some of the artwork has been traced and recovered, but 25 pieces remain missing.

Habiby, now living in Belgium, has been ordered to attend court for sentencing on 23 September. She must also provide a full medical report to justify her latest absence.

After years of delay, the next date in the diary will test one simple question: will she finally stand before a judge to hear her fate?