Man fined Dh500,000 for mocking RTA

25-year-old, who failed driving test, also jailed for claiming the authority ripped off the poor

Aworker who failed his driving test was fined Dh500,000 and jailed for three months for ridiculing the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in an email in which he claimed that it ripped off the poor.

In his email, the 25-yearold Indian worker claimed that the authority took “poor people’s money by making them intentionally fail in driving tests and forcing them to repeat the tests”.

The RTA reported the issue to Dubai Police.

Yesterday, the Dubai Court of First Instance ruled against the accused although he had earlier pleaded not guilty and maintained that he had been frustrated after failing his test. The defendant was not present when the ruling was issued.

Presiding judge Mohammad Jamal fined the accused Dh500,000 for mocking and offending a government department via the email which he sent using his smart phone.

“The mobile device that was used in the crime will be confiscated. The defendant will be deported following the completion of his punishment,” he said.

Cybercrime law

According to the charge sheet, the defendant breached the cybercrime law and misused the email in which he ridiculed the RTA.

In the email, the accused mentioned that he was a victim himself and that the RTA took money from the poor, who worked very hard, and that the authority manipulated their emotions.

“I was frustrated,” the accused told the court.

An RTA official testified that they reported the matter to police because the email contained phrases and words that were deemed offensive.

Prosecutors provided the court with a copy of the email as evidence and asked for the implementation of the toughest punishment applicable, as per the UAE’s cybercrime law.