There is no decision on ex-Syrian intelligence officer

Dubai: The UAE has denied reports that claimed the country will not, because of ‘Western pressure', extradite a former Syrian intelligence officer, who had been sentenced to six months in jail by the State Security Court for entering and residing in the UAE with a fake passport.

An official source told Gulf News that Syria has not prosecuted Mohammad Zuhair Al Seddiq, therefore the UAE is not required to hand him over to his country.

Al Seddiq, a former key witness in the UN probe into the assassination of Lebanese former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, was arrested and tried in the UAE after he entered the country with a fake Czech passport.

He was living in Sharjah when he was arrested.

False testimony

He travelled to the UAE from France after he was discredited by the UN Special Tribunal for giving false testimony.

The UN Special Tribunal will try potential suspects in the Hariri murder "We have asked the UN court if he was wanted by them and they said no," the UAE source said on the condition of anonymity.

Seddiq is currently serving his sentence and it is not clear where he will be deported.

Some reports in the Western media claimed this week that the UAE had refused a Syrian request to extradite Seddiq because of "foreign pressure."

The UAE source denied the report as "baseless" and stressed that Seddiq is not wanted by any party.

A lawyer, familiar with the case, said: "Technically, Seddiq cannot be handed over to Syria unless that country presents a case against him there supported by strong evidence about the suspect's involvement in criminal actions."