Doha, Qatar: The Federal Prosecution for Combating Rumours and Cybercrimes in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has ordered the detention of an Asian national under investigation after being charged with several offenses.
The charges include abusing the internet by posting provocative statements that incite public opinion and harm public interest, and publishing content that does not comply with media standards and is offensive to the Emirati society.
The order was issued after the Federal Bureau of Investigation at the UAE Attorney General Office discovered a video clip on social media platforms of the defendant dressed in Emirati attire inside a luxury car showroom, followed by two individuals carrying what appeared to be a large sum of money, according to Emirates News Agency, WAM.
النيابة الاتحادية بدولة الإمارات تأمر بحبس مقيم من جنسية آسيوية احتياطياً على ذمة التحقيقات، بعد انتشار مقطع للمتهم يظهر فيه مرتدياً الزي الإماراتي داخل معرض للسيارات الفارهة، يتبعه شخصان يحملان لوحاً عليه ما يظهر أنه مبالغ مالية طائلة، ويدير حواراً مع مالك المعرض يطلب فيه شراء… pic.twitter.com/jRj1o2niBw
— البيان نيوز (@albyaan_) July 9, 2023
The defendant shown in the video was arrogantly talking to the showroom owner, requesting to buy a car priced higher than AED two million, and was distributing bundles of money to the showroom employees in a way that shows imprudence and disregard for the value of money.
Accordingly, the behavior promotes a negative and offensive mental image of Emirati citizens, mocks them and hence, inflames and incites public opinion, thereby harming the public interest.
The Public Prosecution also ordered the summoning of the car showroom owner where the aforementioned video was filmed.
The Public Prosecution appealed to the users of social media platforms in the UAE to abide by legal and ethical guidelines in what they publish online, as well as to respect Emirati society and country's laws, in order to avoid prosecution.
