Abu Dhabi orders detention of man on charges of destroying government property and sharing video of the same on social media

Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Public Prosecution has ordered the detention of a young Asian man, following the sharing of a video clip on social media, showing the defendant destroying property owned by one of the branches of a government organisation located in Abu Dhabi.

Abu Dhabi Public Prosecution had received a complaint from the aggrieved organisation, following the spread of a video clip on social media, in which the defendant is seen to be destroying material placed by the government organisation at one of its facilities to serve its customers. The video also showed the logo of the organisation, which was considered by the organisation as its defamation. The claimant managed — through its surveillance cameras — to specify the location and time of the incident and the specifications of the defendant’s car.

The Public Prosecution Office in Abu Dhabi stated that the accused man was bragging about his act of destroying material owned by a government organisation, which may encourage others to indulge in such irresponsible behaviour, that reflect nothing but recklessness on the part of the perpetrator and disrespect towards public property.

Article 424 of the Federal Penal Code says: ‘Anyone who destroys or damages a property owned by others, whether movable or immovable, causing this property to be defective or useless in any way, shall be punished by imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year and a fine not exceeding Dh10,000, or by any one of these two penalties.’

Article 46 of the Decree-Law No 5 of 2012 on Combating Cybercrimes states that the use of information network, the internet, or any other technology means when committing any crime not provided for in this Decree-Law shall be considered an aggravating circumstance.