Man steals govt info, posts on social media

abu dhabi — A government employee has been sentenced to three years in jail for illegally accessing confidential information and posting the details on social media.

The Abu Dhabi Criminal Court of First Instance on Wednesday handed down the sentence to the Arab man after he was found guilty of disclosing secret government information.

The public prosecutors said the man, who was working with a government department had accessed confidential information that was beyond his jurisdiction, through the department’s electronic system and copied details on a certain topic.

The man then posted the details on social media in addition to adding some misleading and contradicting comments, which was in breach of his duties as well as violation of the country’s law.

The posts about the information had spurred several reactions from the public, according to officials, adding that the man’s intention was to get a huge following on social media.

Prosecutors had charged the man with publishing secret government information and violating online law. He had denied the charges but the court convicted him based on the evidence provided by the prosecutors.

The Abu Dhabi Public Prosecution said after the ruling that the law provides for the protection of confidential information at work and prohibits the disclosure of the company information or use for personal purposes.

ismail@khaleejtimes.com