The public prosecution will not pursue "armed robbery" charges against two suspects of the daring daylight jewellery heist in April, say court officials.
The charges wouldn't likely stick, officials say, because real weapons were not used in the heist of the Graff jewellery shop at Wafi Centre.
Khalifa Rashid Bin Demas, Advocate General of Dubai Public Prosecution, told XPRESS that "according to the firearms law, the Wafi suspects will not be charged with armed robbery because the weapon the thieves allegedly used during the break-in were toy guns".
Bin Demas wouldn't disclose whether the suspects have secured defence counsel in preparation for one of the most anticipated trials in the UAE for years.
The two Yugoslav suspects are being left to their own devices to secure lawyers to defend them against charges that they stole Dh14 million worth of jewels in the smash-and-grab robbery.
Bin Demas said: "The Prosecution doesn't hire lawyers for any suspect unless he is facing execution. If the suspects of the Wafi robbery want to hire a lawyer they must pay for it or through their embassy. Or one of the volunteer lawyers may agree to take this case."
Bin Demas remarked that there is a team of more than four lawyers working on this case in the technical office at Dubai Public Prosecution.
"Case investigation in the Wafi heist takes time because there are other suspects out of the country and we should contact the country where they are to get more information to benefit the investigation," he said.
Investigators contend that they have found vital clues in the car that offered the key to the investigation.
