Abu Dhabi government official questioned for appointing baby as 'happiness executive'

Viral video of eight-month-old leads to prosecutors stepping in

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Prosecutors are questioning an official after they gave a baby a job as a 'happiness executive' in a government office.

The Public Prosecution Office of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD) on Wednesday said it summoned the individual to "clarify the issue of appointing a less than eight-month old baby boy to a, ‘Happiness Executive’ role", state news agency Wam reported.

Video footage of the child came to light on social media on Tuesday, in which the child is pictured in a range of activities that were apparently aimed at boosting morale.

Prosecutors said the video indicates that the baby has been appointed in an ‘entertainment’ position and it sees the need to, "investigate the case with the concerned authority".

It did not state who the official was.

No charges have been brought against them yet.

The video generated a torrent of comments from social media users, many of which were offended rather than entertained.

"This makes my blood boil. Qualified and educated Emirati men and women cant find jobs and you hired a baby! Consider me a child," one wrote.

"The officials who though of this should have their mental health checked" another said, while a third described it as a "bad publicity stunt".