Men cleared of hiding brother in car boot to evade UAE authorities

Two brothers accused of trying to help their sibling evade justice by hiding him in the car boot and driving to Oman are acquitted.

DUBAI // Two brothers accused of trying to help their sibling evade justice by hiding him in the car boot and driving to Oman have been acquitted.

Emiratis AA, a 35-year-old policeman and MA, a 27-year-old receptionist, were said to have hidden their brother in the boot because he was wanted by UAE police in connection with a number of financial cases.

A border guard at Hatta discovered AAS, 36, during a check on October 24 last year and asked for an ID card. When he checked it, he found it belonged to one of his brothers and all three men were arrested.

At the Criminal Court, the two younger brothers were charged with aiding and abetting in the fraudulent use of an official document. They both denied the charge, while their older brother, who was charged with fraudulently using an official document, did not appear in court to enter a plea.

The three were acquitted of all charges in relation to the car boot incident. The eldest remains in custody over the financial cases.