UAE top court upholds verdict in four key cases

The Federal Supreme Court on Monday rejected appeals of four defendants - two Arabs and two Asians - and upheld verdicts issued against them by the appellate court.

Two Asians and two Arab citizens had entered a plea against their sentences issued by the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeals.

 No reprieve for terror activities

Of the four cases the Federal Supreme Court took up for hearing on Monday, one case was related to promoting terrorism in the country.The defendant, A.H.Y.G, and Arab citizen, aged 25 was sentenced to three years in jail by the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeals for attempting to join terrorist group Al Nusra Front in Syria. He had been found guilty of publishing information praising the terror groups and promoting lectures of Daesh chief Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi as well as glorifying terror acts perpetrated by the two terror outfits. The Court of Appeals also convicted him of planning with another defendant to use explosives inside the UAE and planning to target a bar of a hotel located in a northern emirate. However, the apex court rejected his plea and upheld the ruling of the appellate court. He will be deported after serving the prison term.

In the first hearing, the apex court took up the case of a 35-year-old Asian Sh. M. G. M. who leaked sensitive military information to the intelligence officers of a foreign country, taking advantage of his job at a port.

The Court of Appeals had sentenced the Asian suspect, who worked at Zayed Seaport in Abu Dhabi, to 10 years in jail followed by deportation. He was convicted for leaking photos of the military ships at the port, jeopardising the interests of the UAE. The court ordered the confiscation of the data and equipment he used for spying.

In another case, the court turned down the appeal submitted by a 45-year-old Arab national, T. H. M. S. N, who was convicted for posting false information and articles on social media with an intention of defaming the UAE. The Court of Appeals had sentenced him to three years in prison followed by deportation besides a fine of Dh500,000. The second Asian suspect, A.A. B, Sh, whose appeal was rejected on Monday, had already been deported. The top court on Monday rejected the contest submitted by his lawyer, and upheld the verdict which was issued earlier against him by the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeals. The Abu Dhabi Court of Appeals put him behind bars for one year for delivering confidential information of customers of a telecommunication company to intelligence agents working at the embassy of his country in Abu Dhabi.

The top court also on Monday ordered the four defendants to pay the expenses of the court hearings.

Source: .khaleej Times