British expat Matthew Hedges who was sentenced to life term for spying was among those granted Presidential pardon ahead of the UAE National Day.
The Ministry of Presidential Affairs announced that a Presidential Pardon has been issued by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, towards Hedges. Hedges will be permitted to leave the UAE once formalities are completed.
UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Anwar Gargash said: “His Highness the President’s gracious clemency in the customary National Day pardons allows us to return our focus to the underlying fundamental strength of the UAE/UK bi-lateral relationship and its importance to the international community. It was always a UAE hope that this matter would be resolved through the common channels of our longstanding partnership. This was a straightforward matter that became unnecessarily complex despite the UAE’s best efforts.”
The clemency was released following a personal letter sent by Hedges’ family to President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The letter was conveyed by British consular staff to UAE authorities.
The Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeals convicted Hedges guilty of the crime of spying for and on behalf of a foreign state, jeopardising the military, economic and political security of the UAE. Hedges was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Hedges was convicted of spying based on the evidence recovered from his electronic devices gathered by UAE intelligence and security agencies, and evidence provided by Mr. Hedges himself – including a corroborated account of asset recruitment and training and the confidential information being targeted. His recruitment and progress within a foreign intelligence service was authenticated to the Court by UAE Intelligence Agencies.
