Dubai: The eight men, who were sentenced in absentia on Tuesday in the plotting case, could be extradited soon after an international Interpol arrest warrant is issued, according to a legal expert.
The UAE State Security Court sentenced the eight Emirati men (out of 94 Emiratis charged) to 15 years in jail each for their role in the plotting case.
“Tuesday’s judgement is a strictly legal verdict that’s irrevocable and not subject to any form of appeal. The case file will now be referred to the Public Prosecution to execute the judgement. Hence according to the applicable legal procedures against the eight absentees, the authorities will open an extradition file against them following the required procedures to have the ruling carried out against them,” advocate Eisa Bin Haider told Gulf News.
The UAE authorities will issue an arrest warrant across the GCC countries via Interpol’s office in Bahrain and across the Arab world via Interpol’s office in Damascus, said Bin Haider.
“To have those absentees extradited and handed over to the UAE, the local authorities will also follow diplomatic channels. Interpol’s country members will be informed about the judgement to implement the process of having those absentees extradited. Being Emirati citizens, once the whereabouts of those convicts are known, they will have to be extradited immediately,” he said.
The only situation that would hinder the process of extradition of these men, according to Bin Haider, is political asylum.
“In case any of them is provided with political asylum, then that would hinder the extradition process. The State Security Court’s verdicts are of a purely judicial nature… and this makes the judgements enforceable. This is an internal judicial matter and related to criminal jurisdiction,” he added.
Judgements handed out in absentia remain subject to contest, he said, and once the absentees are extradited or turn themselves in they have the right to undergo a retrial.
“According to the criminal procedures law, once an absentee is arrested and forwarded to court, then he/she could immediately contest the ruling and have a retrial,” said Bin Haider.
