DUBAI // Questions were raised in court yesterday about the arrest procedures of Dubai police after three Kuwaitis and a Jordanian were arrested at the Fairmont hotel in Dubai for allegedly consuming drugs and alcohol.
Defence lawyers told the court they believed that the police investigations were incomplete and did not follow legal procedures, without elaborating. The advocate Ali al Shamsi said tests done on the defendants did not prove they consumed any drugs while in the country.
The defendants face prison terms of up to four years if found guilty of the drugs charges against them.
The Dubai Police anti-narcotics division raided a hotel room at the Fairmont on November 14 last year after receiving a tip that two men staying there possessed marijuana.
The Kuwaiti defendants, the visitor A Y, 39, the manager B M, 33, the visitor M M, 37, and the Jordanian manager H N, 27, were present at a party held in their hotel room. They were arrested after a raid by the anti-narcotics department.
The men were found with five unsmoked marijuana-laced cigarettes and the ends of eight extinguished marijuana-laced cigarettes. Court records shows A Y, M M and H N were also found to be intoxicated.
The public prosecutor charged all the defendants with drug consumption and charged M M with possession of marijuana-laced cigarettes. A Y, M M and H N were also charged with illegal consumption of alcohol. The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges, though M M admitted he was intoxicated when the raid took place.
"I was not aware of my actions and drunk, Your Honour, when they raided our room," M M said in his defence. Lawyers argued yesterday that the case was not within the court's jurisdiction, saying that there was no proof that the defendants consumed the marijuana in the UAE. The advocates Salim al Sha'ali and Mr al Shamsi told the court that they want to question the forensic doctor who tested the defendants.
The court may dismiss the case if it accepts the defence claims regarding police procedures.
The presiding judge Hamad Abdel Latif of the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance adjourned the case to next Monday to review the defence claims.
amustafa@thenational.ae
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Like a Fading Shadow
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Day 1 results:
Open Men (bonus points in brackets)
New Zealand 125 (1) beat UAE 111 (3)
India 111 (4) beat Singapore 75 (0)
South Africa 66 (2) beat Sri Lanka 57 (2)
Australia 126 (4) beat Malaysia -16 (0)
Open Women
New Zealand 64 (2) beat South Africa 57 (2)
England 69 (3) beat UAE 63 (1)
Australia 124 (4) beat UAE 23 (0)
New Zealand 74 (2) beat England 55 (2)
Veil (Object Lessons)
Rafia Zakaria
Bloomsbury Academic
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tottenham v Ajax, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 720hp
Torque: 770Nm
Price: Dh1,100,000
On sale: now