Dubai policeman’s state secrets case ‘fabricated’, defence lawyers say



ABU DHABI // State security officials “fabricated” their case against a Dubai policeman who is accused of passing on confidential and personal information about officers at the station where he worked, his lawyers told a court on Monday.

A B, 43, a first sergeant, received discounted medical treatment for his family at the Iranian Hospital in Dubai in return for the information, prosecutors say.

Ali Al Mannaei, A B’s lawyer, said his client was first monitored by the National State Security administration on suspicion of having terrorist links. However, these were not found. “This caused them to create an accusation. What is the evidence they have? No more than oral claims by the witness,” said Mr Al Mannaei.

The lawyer said the case files where A B’s confessions were written should be considered void as the language used proved it could not have been his client, who does not speak fluent Arabic.

“A B speaks in a weak local Arabic dialect, he speaks fluently in Farsi. The case files show his Arabic is impeccable, which is not the case,” he said.

Mr Al Mannaei also said that to be a spy, one must give detailed information, which A B did not provide.

“The employees at the consulate asked general questions. To be a spy it must affect the economy, politics, or military. A B works in organising sports events [in the Dubai Armed Forces Club]. What harm could that do to anyone?” he asked.

A B’s other lawyer, Aref Al Shamsi, said state security officers had monitored his client’s phone calls from as far back as 2006, yet these were not listed as evidence.

“The calls show that state security officers listened to all his phone calls. If the defendant had wanted to betray the state, he would have done so from the beginning, not waited eight years,” said Mr Al Shamsi.

“A B is a good citizen. The conversations he had with the employees at the consulate were only chitchat. He speaks Farsi, like them, and the conversations were general. All he did was take on what was assigned to him by his manager.

“All he got from the consulate was a 20 per cent discount on medical treatment. The discount ended after a short period of time. What value does this have to cause him to spy on his own country?” he asked.

A member of the public prosecution said that intelligence officers knew how to deal with people and were trained to obtain the information they needed without asking detailed questions.

“The nature of their conversations could be general, but the meaning and point behind it is different,” he said.

A B told the court he was “honoured to be an Emirati citizen serving the country, and honoured to raise the UAE’s flag in international sport activities”.

“I have many achievements, and I have many certificates and awards to prove it. The purpose of my work is to raise my country’s name high and not to spy. I did not create a relationship with the officers at the consulate and there is no clear evidence to prosecute me,” said A B.

He said his mother had been in hospital since his arrest nine months ago and he had not been able to see her, and he was responsible for daughters who needed him at home.

He pleaded with Judge Falah Al Hajeri to acquit him, saying he was unjustly wronged.

The verdict at the state security division of the Federal Supreme Court will be announced on March 2.

aalkhoori@thenational.ae

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Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
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Investments: Grants/private funding
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Label: Warner Records

Number of tracks: 11

Rating: 4/5

States of Passion by Nihad Sirees,
Pushkin Press

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Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
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Electoral College Victory

Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate. 

 

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.

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Last 10 NBA champions

2017: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-1
2016: Cleveland bt Golden State 4-3
2015: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-2
2014: San Antonio bt Miami 4-1
2013: Miami bt San Antonio 4-3
2012: Miami bt Oklahoma City 4-1
2011: Dallas bt Miami 4-2
2010: Los Angeles Lakers bt Boston 4-3
2009: Los Angeles Lakers bt Orlando 4-1
2008: Boston bt Los Angeles Lakers 4-2

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BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES

Friday (UAE kick-off times)

Borussia Dortmund v Paderborn (11.30pm)

Saturday 

Bayer Leverkusen v SC Freiburg (6.30pm)

Werder Bremen v Schalke (6.30pm)

Union Berlin v Borussia Monchengladbach (6.30pm)

Eintracht Frankfurt v Wolfsburg (6.30pm)

Fortuna Dusseldof v  Bayern Munich (6.30pm)

RB Leipzig v Cologne (9.30pm)

Sunday

Augsburg v Hertha Berlin (6.30pm)

Hoffenheim v Mainz (9pm)

 

 

 

 

 

The biog

Hometown: Cairo

Age: 37

Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror

Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing

Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition

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1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight

3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge

4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

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THE BIO

Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.

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if you go

Getting there

Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.

Staying there

On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.

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Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Dubai Women's Tour teams

Agolico BMC
Andy Schleck Cycles-Immo Losch
Aromitalia Basso Bikes Vaiano
Cogeas Mettler Look
Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport
Hitec Products – Birk Sport 
Kazakhstan National Team
Kuwait Cycling Team
Macogep Tornatech Girondins de Bordeaux
Minsk Cycling Club 
Pannonia Regional Team (Fehérvár)
Team Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Team Ciclotel
UAE Women’s Team
Under 23 Kazakhstan Team
Wheel Divas Cycling Team

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How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

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Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
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Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
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Five ways to get fit like Craig David (we tried for seven but ran out of time)

Start the week as you mean to go on. So get your training on strong on a Monday.

Train hard, but don’t take it all so seriously that it gets to the point where you’re not having fun and enjoying your friends and your family and going out for nice meals and doing that stuff.

Think about what you’re training or eating a certain way for — don’t, for example, get a six-pack to impress somebody else or lose weight to conform to society’s norms. It’s all nonsense.

Get your priorities right.

And last but not least, you should always, always chill on Sundays.

The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable
Amitav Ghosh, University of Chicago Press


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