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UAE supreme court cancels life sentence for drug dealers, calls for retrial

Abu Dhabi - Prosecutors said they had found the men and the woman in possession of drugs.

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Three men and a woman who had been sentenced to life in prison for dealing in drugs will be tried again by the appellant court.

The Federal Supreme Court in Abu Dhabi has cancelled earlier rulings by lower courts which sentenced the four defendants to life imprisonment and a fine of Dh50,000 after they were found guilty of dealing in psychotropic drugs. The judge overturned the verdicts because of the lack of fair representation by a lawyer for each of the defendants during their trial.

Official court documents stated that the Asian defendants had been prosecuted after investigations suggested that they dealt drugs.

Prosecutors said they found the men and the woman, who were staying in a northern emirate, in possession of drugs and that they were promoting it in the country.

Both the Criminal Court of First Instance and the Appeal Court had earlier sentenced the defendants to life in prison after they were found guilty of dealing in drugs.

They appealed to UAE's court claiming that they were wrongly convicted as they didn't receive a fair trial.

Two of the defendants said they were all represented by one lawyer in the Court of First Instance despite their conflicting interests in the case. The defendants said they wanted a lawyer to represent each one of them because some were not accomplices in the crime but their case was treated jointly which led to a conviction and life in prison sentences by all of them.

The Supreme Court judge accepted their appeal and ordered the appellant court to have a fresh hearing of the case. He said each of the defendants should be represented by a separate lawyer of their choice so they get a fair trial.

ismail@khaleejtimes.com

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