DUBAI // Three men each jailed for life for the kidnapping of a British businessman in 2013 lost their appeals against the sentences on Wednesday.
Iranians R A, 32, K J, 52, and N K, 55, were convicted of the kidnapping of Abbas Yazasanpanah Yazdi, who is of Iranian descent and who has been missing since June 2013. All three were jailed for life by Dubai Criminal Court in February.
They were also convicted of theft, hiding stolen property, assault and endangering life.
Three other accused Iranians are still at large.
The kidnapping is believed to have been politically motivated.
At a hearing in January, chief prosecutor Khaled Al Zarouni said that the defendants had committed a hideous crime and tried to damage the reputation and safety of the UAE.
Mr Al Zarouni said the victim fled oppression to the UK but was kidnapped because of testimony he had given to an international arbitration tribunal in The Hague, the Netherlands.
Records show that five months before the kidnapping, which took place on June 25, 2013, the gang rented a villa in Al Barsha and used it as a base. There, they hid rented cars used to watch then kidnap the victim.
Mr Yazdi, a father of two who owns a trading firm in Bur Dubai, was kidnapped in the car park of his workplace and put on a ship to Iran.
An Iranian opposition figure in London has said Mr Yazdi was kidnapped to gather evidence against Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani, a childhood friend.
Mr Rafsanjani, the son of a former leader, was charged with inciting unrest after the re-election in 2009 of president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Questions were raised when it was revealed that details taken from Mr Yazdi’s computer by the UK special fraud office had been passed to Tehran in early 2013. Mr Al Zarouni said that after months of investigations, prosecutors had found medication used to drug the victim and masks in the victim’s car and in the rented house.
Mr Al Zarouni said that a credit card belonging to the victim was found on one of the defendants, along with a small bag and business cards.
R A told both criminal and appeal courts that he was not guilty of hiding stolen property, assault or endangering life, but confessed to kidnapping and stealing money from the victim.
He said he was the one who drove the car used in the kidnapping. The other two defendants denied all charges.
Essam Al Humaidan, Dubai’s attorney general, had earlier said that arrest warrants had been issued for the three Iranians still at large.
“The three held were arrested after returning to Dubai for the second time after the kidnap happened, just to ensure that everything was fine and the villa they rented was still safe,” Mr Al Zarouni said.
All three will be deported after completing 25-year life sentences, which were upheld by Dubai Court of Appeal.
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Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
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The biog
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Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
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If you go
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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Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
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Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
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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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Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes.
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Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
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From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
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