Supreme court on state security cases

The Supreme Federal Court has adjourned to April 18, the hearing in the case of seven people accused of providing classified information to Hezbollah.
 
In a hearing session held on Monday, the public prosecution told the court that the first defendant, a public official, handed the sixth defendant, a member of the Lebanese Hezbollah Party, classified information about the UAE armed forces' procurement contracts, as well as a list of names and ranks of state security officers.
 
The second defendant, an Egyptian sketch geologist working for an oil company, provided information about the actual oil production in Abu Dhabi with details of oil and gas fields' output, a map of oil fields, in addition to the email identities of the company's employees.
 
The third defendant, a secretary at the vehicles and driver licensing department, handed the fourth defendant, an agent of Hezbollah and Iran, classified military information, and information about the registered vehicle owners. In return, the fourth defendant handed the information to the fifth defendant who created and managed an unlicensed international group as a front for Hezbollah.
 
The public prosecution also charged that the sixth defendant received the classified information from the first, second and fifth defendants and handed it over to Iran. He also took photos of the Interior and Foreign ministries' buildings, an armed forces camp and the state security building and delivered them to Hezbollah. The seventh defendant is accused of taking photos of the embassies in the UAE, the Abu Dhabi International Airport and the Dubai International Airport, and handing them to Hezbollah.
 
All defendants denied the charges.
 
The court also adjourned the case of Yemeni Muslim Brotherhood to April 4 to hear the prosecution's witnesses. In the case, 19 defendants, including 14 Yemenis and 5 Emiratis, are standing trial. According to the prosecution, the first 13 defendants founded and ran in the UAE a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood group, using an unlicensed international group as a front. The remaining six defendants are accused of aiding and abetting the group by not reporting them to the authorities.
 
The first 13 defendants raised funds for the group without authorization, while 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th defendants joined the group which is banned in the UAE. The 16th defendant acted as a member of the education committee of a Dubai-based bureau that reported to the UAE Muslim Brotherhood. The other three were members of the bureau's charity committee.
 
All defendants denied the charges.
 
Another case, relating to a UAE-based group affiliated to Hezbollah, was reserved for the final verdict on 4th April.
 
The court heard the defence's plea which countered the charge against defendants that they started an international group intended to be a branch of Hezbollah in the UAE and engaged in commercial, business and political activities without an official license. The defence lawyers argued that there was a lack of serious investigation, absence of concrete evidence and inadequate interrogation, demanding that the three defendants be acquitted of all charges.
 
The court issued verdicts in four cases. It sentenced Abdullah Abdul Rahman al Baloushi, an Emirati, to five years in jail, Dh500,000 fine and closure of a website along with confiscation of devices he used, as a punishment for promoting the terrorist organisation Daesh. He drew the terrorist organisation's name and logo on a wall in Suwihan, using a spray colour, before taking a photo of it and tweeting it. He also contributed funds to Daesh.
 
The court acquitted Muawia Salem Al Rawahi, an Omani national, deeming him not entirely responsible for his actions because he is mentally ill. He was accused of creating a channel on Youtube, accounts on Facebook and Twitter and a blog to publish rumours, ideas and information that spread hatred and ruined the general unity and peace of the UAE.
 
The court ordered that Al Rawahi be deported.
 
The court also acquitted the Libyan national, Adel Rajab Beleid Nassif, of financially supporting militia groups that included both the Muslim Brotherhood-backed Tripoli Martyrs Brigade and the Libyan Dawn groups. It also acquitted his compatriot Muaz Mohammed Habib Al Hashemi of charges of joining Libyan Dawn, Ansar Al Sharia and Al Karama terrorist organisations.
 
The court heard the public prosecution's plea in the case of 'Prince of Daesh', in which it called for maximum punishment, based on the defendant's confessions, evidence and witnesses' testimonies.

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