Abu Dhabi: Two men have been sentenced to life in jail and fined Dh100,000 for shooting at two undercover CID officials and for substance abuse, the Court of Cassation ruled on Tuesday.
Popularly known as the ‘Bani Yas shooting’, the incident involving the Emirati defendants, M.K. and F.A., took place in 2012 when an undercover policeman posed as a buyer of 20kg of hashish worth Dh228,000.
During the operation, a drug dealer fired at the undercover officer and a bullet hit his jaw. Another police officer also sustained bullet injuries. The policemen were sent abroad for medical treatment and have not fully recovered from the injuries.
During court hearings, the suspect denied being present at the scene and the second defendant claimed that a third person, who remains missing, shot at the officers.
In June 2012, the Criminal Court of First Instance sentenced the two to death but the verdict had since been overturned. The Appeals Court changed the charges to uninentional possession of drugs and imposed fines of Dh143,000 and Dh40,000 on the first and second defendants respectively. During various stages of their trial, the men were charged with causing permanent disabilities and using violence against police officials, in addition to illegally possessing weapons and ammunition.
F.A. came on the police radar in 2010 when he was suspected of being a drug dealer.
The Cassation Court verdict is final and not subject to appeal.
