Dubai, UAE, October 7th, 2026, FinanceWire
Court imposes fine, orders confiscation of device and deletion of defamatory statements; civil claim referred to civil court
Anthony Ritossa, founder and chairman of the Global Family Office Investment Summit (GFOIS) Series, has been vindicated following a Dubai court judgment convicting Tobias Christof Prestel, co-founder of Prestel & Partner, in a criminal defamation case involving statements made about Ritossa.
The Dubai Court fined Tobias Prestel in a September 16 judgment, ordered that the device used in committing the offense be confiscated, and directed him to delete the relevant message from all social media platforms. The court also referred Ritossa’s civil claim for damages to civil court.
The case arose from statements Tobias Prestel made concerning Anthony Ritossa on LinkedIn. According to the judgment, the court relied on testimony, electronic forensic evidence, screenshots of the communications, and Tobias Prestel’s own admissions.
According to the court’s findings, there was commercial competition between Tobias Prestel and Anthony Ritossa, and the conduct at issue was intended to harass Anthony Ritossa in connection with the conference, attract investors toward Tobias Prestel’s competing interests, and cause harm to Anthony Ritossa.
Tobias Prestel admitted that he sent the statements concerning Anthony Ritossa and expressed regret, further saying that he had not known his actions were unlawful. His attorneys sought an acquittal or, alternatively, leniency.
The judgment marks an important development for Anthony Ritossa and the Global Family Office Investment Summits. Tobias Prestel was among the individuals interviewed for Vanity Fair’s 2022 article concerning Anthony Ritossa and his family office conferences and subsequently appeared as a source in coverage published by Spear’s Magazine. Neither Vanity Fair nor Spear’s Magazine was a defendant in the criminal case against Prestel.
“This judgment brings an important measure of clarity after several years of public harassment, and I feel vindicated by the court’s decision,” said Anthony Ritossa. “I have always believed that reputation matters and so does the truth. I am grateful that the legal process has now resulted in a clear decision in my favor.”
Anthony Ritossa and his team have continued expanding the Global Family Office Investment Summit Series internationally. Thirteen additional conferences were held in destinations including Dubai, Miami, Lake Como and Cannes, bringing the Summit Series to 33 events over the past ten years.
“Rather than allow this to define us, we continued building,” Anthony Ritossa said. “Over these years, our Summit community expanded internationally, we welcomed thousands of participants, and we continued creating opportunities for investors and entrepreneurs to build meaningful relationships.”
The criminal judgment does not resolve Anthony Ritossa’s separate claim for damages. The criminal court determined that consideration of compensation would require a separate inquiry that could delay resolution of the criminal proceedings and therefore referred the civil action to the competent civil court.
“This judgment allows us to turn our attention fully to what comes next,” Anthony Ritossa said. “We have spent ten years building an international community based on relationships, trust and collaboration, and I am excited about the next chapter.”
Over the past decade, the Global Family Office Investment Summit has hosted thousands of family office principals, private investors, entrepreneurs and thought leaders at conferences around the world. The Summit Series focuses on connecting global capital with investment opportunities while fostering long-term relationships and collaboration across the international family office community.
About the Global Family Office Investment Summit
Founded by Anthony Ritossa, the Global Family Office Investment Summit is an international private investment conference series bringing together family offices, private investors, business leaders and entrepreneurs from around the world. The Summits provide a platform for investment discussion, relationship building, deal flow and collaboration across global markets.
More information: info@gfois.com