Abu Dhabi- The State Security Court of the Federal Supreme Court chaired by judge Falah Al Hajiri, adjourned two cases in which two Gulf nationals were convicted of spying for a foreign country by the Abu Dhabi Court of Appeals to February 19.

In the first case, the appellant (H.A.M.M), 30, was sentenced by the Abu Dhabi Court of Appeals to life imprisonment after being convicted of communicating with a foreign state and transferring sensitive information and secrets to agents working in the embassy of that country, The defense lawyer, Jasem Al Naqbi, demanded the acquittal of his client for lack of evidence.

The judge ordered the case to be adjourned to the February 19, to issue the final verdict.

The Abu Dhabi Court of Appeals found the man guilty of spying for a foreign country and disclosing sensitive secrets to agents working at the embassy in Abu Dhabi with the help of an Arab woman embassy employee who was convicted and sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment.

In the second case, the court heard the appeal filed by the 55-year-old man, who was sentenced to seven years in prison for spying for a foreign state and disclosing sensitive secrets and information to its agents.

The lawyer of the appellant, Khalfan Al Kaabi, submitted a defense memorandum in which he demanded that his client be declared innocent because of insufficient evidence provided by the State Security Prosecution.

Judge Al Hajiri granted the appellant the opportunity to defend himself before the sentence was pronounced. The appellant told the court: “I am not guilty. There is no hard evidence to condemn me. I plead for justice.” The appellant claimed that he did not receive a copy of the pleadings, that he wrote notes on the indictment against him defending himself, and said that the prison administration where he was serving his sentence did not deliver his remarks and his memorandum to defense lawyers.

The judge ordered the representative of the State Security Prosecution to instruct the administration of the penal institution to facilitate communication between the convict and the defense lawyer. The lawyer also demanded that the plaintiff follow up his client’s requests and communicate his observations to the court.

The judge adjourned the case to February 19, when a verdict will be issued.