Man jailed for aiding Iran’s N-programme

abu dhabi — A 48-year-old Iranian was on Wednesday sentenced to 10 years in jail on charges of espionage, forgery and smuggling instruments used for Iran’s nuclear programme.

The Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeals ruled that H.R.M.H.M was guilty of impairing ties between the UAE and the US by importing these equipment from America and smuggling them to Iran, in violation of UN sanctions imposed on Tehran.

The court ordered the convict to be deported after serving his jail term and asked him to bear the charges of the case.

Meanwhile, the court adjourned four cases to August 27, which included the case of H.A.M.Sh, an Emirati who was charged with attempting to join Daesh and promoting the terror group’s ideologies online.

The deferred cases also include that of an Emirati aged 34, A.M.H.R, and a co-defendant S.M.A.S, a 44-year-old GCC national residing in UAE, who the public prosecution accused of contacting agents working for the Iranian intelligence agency. The pair was charged with providing the agents with sensitive and classified information on the UAE government’s installations, which may cause damages to the interests of the country.

According to the indictment sheet, the public prosecutors also charged them with causing damage to the UAE’s relations with Saudi Arabia, and publishing false and fabricated articles and information that are defamatory to Saudi Arabia and its political stands, which could affect the bilateral ties between the two countries.

A third case that was postponed involved S.M.A.A, an Emirati aged 55, who worked as an office employee with an oil company in Abu Dhabi. The public prosecution accused him of spying with agents of Iran’s intelligence authority through an agent who works at the Iranian consulate in Dubai.

In the chargessheet, the defendant was accused of furnishing the Iranian agent with secret information about the oil fields, and the information was leaked to the agents of the Iranian Intelligence, which might harm the economic interests of the UAE.

In another case which was deferred, A.M.A.M, an Emirati aged 24 was charged with joining Daesh in Syria. He allegedly attended military trainings after owing allegiance to Abu Bakar Al Baghdadi, the leader of the terror group.