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Final verdicts in two espionage cases on Feb 19

Abu Dhabi - Two GCC citizens were convicted of spying by the Court of Appeal

A 34-year-old GCC citizen, identified as H.A.M.M., who was given a life sentence after being convicted of spying for a foreign country, has had his appeal reserved by the state security circuit of the Supreme Federal Court on Monday.
He was accused of divulging secrets and crucial information to agents working for a foreign embassy in Abu Dhabi, using the help of an Arab female employee, who was also found guilty and sentenced to 10 years in jail by the Court of Appeal.
The court reserved this and another appeal case, also involving a GCC citizen convicted of espionage, to February 19, to pronounce a final ruling.
The hearing was presided over by Judge Falah Al Hajiri.
The Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal had previously sentenced H.A.M.M. to life in prison, after which his defence lawyer demanded the acquittal of his client for lack of tangible evidence, in the higher court. The judge asked the accused whether he wants his lawyer to attending next week's hearing for the final judgement, to which H.A.M.M. answered in the affirmative.
In the second case, the apex court looked into the appeal filed by a 55 year-old GCC citizen, identified as S.M.Gh.A, who was earlier given seven years' imprisonment by the Court of Appeal, for spying and disclosing key information and sensitive secrets related to his workplace, to agents working for a foreign embassy.
His defence attorney demanded his client's acquittal for lack of corroborated evidence.
Judge Al Hajri granted the appellant a chance to defend himself before the court passed a ruling. "I'm innocent and a victim of injustice, sir. There is no concrete evidence that may make me a criminal. So, I ask you to clear me of the charges levelled against me," the defendant told the court. The accused also claimed to have written some notes on the arraignment sheet defending himself, so these notes could be passed on to the court. He stated that the administration of the jail he was at failed to hand his remarks to the defence lawyer.
malzarooni@khaleejtimes.com