A Dubai appeals court on Wednesday dropped the life sentences for two men convicted of murdering former Chechen warlord Sulim Yamadayev based on waiver of compensation rights by relatives of the deceased.

The court reduced the sentence of the two men, an Iranian and a Tajik, to three years, including the 21 months they have in jail. This means they could be freed in early 2012.
 
In a dramatic twist to the case, Abdullah Al Madani, the defence lawyer of the Iranian man MT, who is the prime accused, submitted an attested copy of the waiver signed by the dependents of Yamadayev.
 
Having submitted a copy of the waiver from Yamadayev’s dependents, the court had asked the lawyer to produce a copy attested by the Russian government with an Arabic translation attested as per UAE norms.
 
The Dubai Court of First Instance had found the men guilty of gunning down the former Chechen warlord at the parking of his home in Jumeirah Beach Residence on March 28, 2009.
 
The former rebel leader was living in Dubai under an alias and was protected by two bodyguards, one of whom got injured in the gunfire during the incident.
 
The sentence is subject to appeal in the Court of Cassation within 30 days.