Abu Dhabi: A witness in a case against an Iranian man told the State Security Court at the Federal Supreme Court on Monday that the defendant received around £12 million from agents working for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and the Iranian Intelligence.
The defendant allegedly received the money in exchange for his help in easing the purchase of electric power generators that are used in nuclear reactors, as well as his help in shipping them to Iran through the UAE while there were US sanctions against Iran.
The court, presided over by judge Falah Al Hageri, also heard testimony from an investigative officer at the state security who said the defendant had been in touch with agents from Iran to smuggle the generator from German company Siemens’ office in London to Iran through the UAE. The officer testified that the generator in question is high-tech and is used for military purposes and in generating power for nuclear reactors.
He added that the defendant forged official papers to ship the generator, and that he told Siemens that the generator would be exported to Myanmar. He also forged the documents to show that the export will be through a company that he owns in Dubai, and that this took place while there were international sanctions on Iran.
The witness said that the £12 million the defendant received comprised £7 million to buy the generator, and other amounts in commission from Iran. He said the smuggling attempt was planned early on, and the plan was to ship the generator from London to Dubai and then to Myanmar via sea but the direction would change once at sea to head to Iran.
After the witness was questioned by court and lawyers, the judge adjourned the case to October 31 to hear the defence.
Other cases
In another case against a Hezbollah cell in the UAE, the court heard pleas by two defence lawyers representing two defendants. The lawyers said their clients were innocent, and urged the judge to deem the investigations void as they questioned the validity of the evidence presented against the defendants.
One of the lawyers defended his client — who is accused of providing Hezbollah with information about military deals to purchase weapons at a weapons exhibition in Abu Dhabi — saying that Hezbollah got that information from the media and public sources. The lawyer said such information was publicly accessible and not confidential in nature. The judge then adjourned the case to October 31 to announce the verdict.
In a third case, an Emirati was accused of running over an American with an intent to kill as the latter was taking a walk. The American was overseeing sensitive information at his workplace and the Emirati was plotting to plant explosives in the UAE. The defence lawyer requested that his client be examined by medical specialists as he is unstable.
When asked by the judge whether he was mentally unstable, the defendant said, “Yes, I do suffer from severe mental disorders as a result of my Emirati passport being confiscated over two years ago.”
The court referred the defendant to Khalifa Medical Centre to be examined by specialists in the field of psychological and mental disorders, and adjourned the case to October 31.
In a fourth case, the court heard testimonies by a defence lawyer representing two Emirati sisters who are accused of communicating with agents at Al Nusra Group and Daesh, and sending them money.
The lawyer said that the case should be deemed invalid as there was no evidence that the women sent money directly or indirectly to anyone working for terrorist organisations. The judge adjourned the case to October 31, demanding that one of the defendants be referred to a hospital to receive medical treatment while another be taken back to jail.
In the final case, the court heard a defence plea by a lawyer representing a defendant accused of being part of the clandestine organisation of the Muslim Brotherhood. The lawyer said that his client was young when he attended classes to learn the Quran and participate in activities that were part of a social club, which he didn’t know was part of a clandestine group.
The lawyer said his client had stopped participating in all those activities since 2012 when members of the Muslim Brotherhood were on trial, and that he did not break any laws. The judge adjourned the case to October 31.
