Dubai: A graft case involving Deyaar's former board member is back to square one, following an unexpected judgment passed by the Dubai Appeals Court on Tuesday.
All judgments against Deyaar's former board member 42-year-old Emirati S.A. have been cancelled and a new panel of Court of First Instance's judges will hold a fresh trial, said Appeal Court's Presiding Judge Mahmoud Fahmi Sultan.
This is considered the third twist in the case that has been coming back and forth between the three court stages — Cassation, Appeal and First Instance.
In February, the Cassation Court ordered the Appeal Court — which issued Tuesday's judgment — to hold a re-trial in the case.
Prior to that, the Appeal Court amended the primary judgment to a one-year jail-term and a Dh11.75 million fine.
The reasons behind Tuesday's judgment will only be known after the verdict is typed, printed and signed by Presiding Judge Sultan and his two deputies.
Deyaar lawyers had earlier dropped the graft case against the company's ex-board member claiming it incurred no damages.
S.A.'s lawyer Dr Habib Al Mulla presented two documents issued by the Ruler's Court confirming that S.A. was not a public servant when he served as a board member.
Acquittal request
After Deyaar waived its right and dropped its case against S.A. confirming no loss was incurred, Al Mulla asked the court to acquit his client. The First Instance's Court had sentenced S.A. (who is on bail) to three years in jail and fined him Dh115 million after he was found guilty of abusing his government job, causing loss to Deyaar and unlawfully pocketing Dh11.75 million in the process.
A hearing is expected to be scheduled before the Court of First Instance soon.
