Retrial for UAE man accused of adultery

In a rare ruling by the Court of Cassation, the case of a man convicted of having sex with his maid was bounced back to the Criminal Court, instead of the Appeals Court.

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ABU DHABI // In a rare ruling by the Court of Cassation, the case of a man convicted of having sex with his maid was bounced back to the Criminal Court, instead of the Appeals Court.

Married Emirati KM was previously found guilty of committing adultery by sleeping with his Ethiopian maid, YM.

The pair were convicted and the case was forwarded to appeals and then cassation. However, the cassation court discovered that no lawyer had been appointed to KM for the trial, which invalidates its findings.

Since KM has a wife, an adultery conviction could lead to a death sentence and, by law, every such defendant should be appointed a lawyer to represent them throughout the trial.

So the case returned to the Criminal Court yesterday after the cassation court's decision and it was adjourned until February 2 to appoint a defence lawyer.

The previous sentences issued to the pair were not announced.

hdajani@thenational.ae