ABU DHABI // Lawyers for a Dutch man accused of possessing and consuming marijuana said it was his co-accused who passed him the drugs under a hotel door.
RW, from the Netherlands, was arrested after a fellow hotel guest complained that he was banging on his door and loudly calling his name.
The Emirati defendant, M B, fled the scene before police arrived.
R W’s lawyer said forensics tests showed that the consumption was done outside the country, and therefore the Abu Dhabi Criminal Court was not specialised to look the case.
UAE law only incriminates for consumption carried out in the country.
He argued that prosecutors did not have evidence that it was R W who possessed the drugs and not M B.
The lawyer for M B, said the only reason MB was involved in the case is because he had a criminal record.
He denied his client’s connection to the drugs, and said it was R W who placed the marijuana under the hotel door.
A verdict will be announced on September 29.
hdajani@thenational.ae
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The flights
There are various ways of getting to the southern Serengeti in Tanzania from the UAE. The exact route and airstrip depends on your overall trip itinerary and which camp you’re staying at.
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Kilimanjaro International Airport from Dh1,350 return, including taxes; this can be followed by a short flight from Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti with Coastal Aviation from about US$700 (Dh2,500) return, including taxes. Kenya Airways, Emirates and Etihad offer flights via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.
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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.
More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr
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