Sharjah: A court in Sharjah has acquitted a young man accused of skipping his drug test after the accused proved to the court that he had a valid excuse for not showing up.
The man, a national of a Gulf country, provided evidence that he had injured his foot and had also been helping in treatment-related errands for his father who has cancer.
Records of Public Prosecution stated that the accused had failed to report to the police station on time to submit a urine sample, despite signing a pledge to attend. Based on the charges, the court ruled that the accused should be imprisoned for one year and obligated him to pay fees.
The convict appealed the judgment, but the Court of Appeal in Sharjah initially rejected the appeal. The accused then appealed before the Federal Supreme Court in Abu Dhabi, which returned the case to the Court of Appeal for reconsideration.
‘Compelling excuse’
The accused appeared before the Court of Appeal via video conference, and the lawyer, Hessa Al Shara, the legal representative of the accused, demanded to clear her client from the charges. She explained that her client had a compelling excuse that prevented him from completing the periodic drug test, as he was taking care of his father who was diagnosed with cancer.
She pointed out that the accused had entered the National Rehabilitation Centre in the emirate of Abu Dhabi voluntarily in order to seek treatment for addiction, and he had regularly visited the outpatient clinic for periodic tests.
The Sharjah Court of Appeal decided to accept the appeal, acquitting the accused.
