Drug death sentences overturned

Most of the death sentences given for drug offences over the past three years has been rejected because of procedural errors, said Abu Dhabi Judicial Department officials. 

The sentences, more than a dozen in all, were sent back by the Appellate Court before they reached the Court of Cassation, the highest court in the emirate and last point of appeal, the officials were quoted as saying in a report in the UAE daily The National.
 
The Court of Cassation cited failures in collecting information, making arrests or in court procedures. Errors included a translator who was not under oath when translating the defendant’s testimony, a lower court that did not issue a unanimous verdict, an arrest made without a clearance from public prosecution, a video recording of an arrest that was not clear, and confessions incorrectly obtained.

Because Shariah law is implemented in death penalty cases, the standard of evidence has to be extremely high – for instance, officers in a sting operation would not be valid witnesses because they would not be considered independent, the report added.