Supreme Council will no longer accept verdicts appeals in absentia

The Federal Supreme Council has issued a ruling rejecting appeals of court rulings issued in absentia. It confirmed that appeals are admissible only in the case of final verdicts issued by the court of appeals. A verdict appealed in absentia shall be deemed void.

The ruling was made in the case of a manslaughter conviction in which the defendant was found guilty. He was fined Dh4,000, had his driving license revoked for three months, made to pay Dh200,000 in blood money and fast for two months, reported Al Ittihad, the Arabic language sister paper of The National.