Verdicts in two spying cases on February 19

State Security Court adjourns cases after hearing two convicts’ defence arguments

The State Security Court of the Federal Supreme Court yesterday adjourned two cases of espionage to February 19 when verdicts will be delivered.

The cases involve two citizens of Gulf countries who were convicted of spying for a foreign country by the Abu Dhabi Court of Appeals

In the first case, the 30-yearold convict was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Appeals Court after being found guilty of communicating with a foreign state and transferring sensitive information and secrets to agents working in that country’s embassy.

An Arab woman employed at the embassy was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment.

His defence lawyer Jasem Al Naqbi, however, sought his client’s acquittal for lack of evidence. Presiding judge Falah Al Hajiri adjourned the case to February 19 for a final verdict.

In the second case, the court heard an appeal filed by a 55-year-old man, who was sentenced to seven years in prison for espionage.

His lawyer Khalfan Al Kaabi submitted a defence memorandum in which he demanded that his client be declared innocent because of insufficient evidence provided by the State Security Prosecution.

Judge Al Hajiri granted the convict the opportunity to defend himself before the sentence was pronounced. He told the court: “I am not guilty. There is no hard evidence to condemn me. I plead for justice.”

The convict claimed that he did not receive a copy of the pleadings, adding that he wrote notes on the indictment defending himself, but prison authorities did not deliver his remarks and his memorandum to his lawyer.

The judge ordered the representative of the State Security Prosecution to instruct the jail administration to facilitate communication between the convict and his lawyer.

The lawyer in turn demanded that the prosecution follow up his client’s requests and communicate his observations to the court.