Landlord 'assaults policemen after being reported for disconnecting electricity in building'

A landlord whose tenant reported him to police for disconnecting the electricity in their building assaulted, insulted and threatened two officers, Dubai Criminal Court was told.

On September 25, a Moroccan woman called police after the 42-year-old Palestinian defendant — who is her landlord — cut the power in her building.

“We arrived to the building in Al Barsha area then met with the woman. She told us what happened and directed us to the landlord’s apartment,” said a policeman.

He said he and his colleague asked the man for identification documents but the landlord refused and spoke to them in a "provocative manner".
"He simply said 'I don't want to give you my ID' so we asked him to accompany us to the police station. We called our supervising officer who ordered us to have the man handcuffed," he said.
The defendant allegedly refused to co-operate and began kicking one of the officers and insulted them both, calling them animals.
"He said we were dogs and animals and said that we will see what he does when he tells Lt Gen Dhahi Khalfan [head of general security for Dubai]," said the officer.
The accused allegedly attacked both policemen and tore one of the officers' pocket when he tried to take his gun — as all three fell to the ground.
The officers, a 37-year-old Yemeni and a 21-year-old Emirati, called for backup to help them arrest the defendant.
The landlord was charged with physical assault, issuing insults, threatening policemen and damaging a gun pocket. He denied charges in court on Wednesday.
The next hearing is scheduled for March 7.

What the law says

Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.

“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.

“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”

If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.

How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE

When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.