The UAE’s top court has stressed that courts must not in any way reduce sentences against convicted drug dealers in line with the country’s anti-narcotic laws.
The Federal Supreme Court (FSC) made this clear after overturning a sentence issued by a court of appeals reducing a six-month jail verdict against a drug dealer to a Dh6,000 fine.
A court of first instance had sentenced the defendant to six months in prison, prompting him to appeal. He won a reprieve from the court of appeals, which abolished the prison sentence and only fined him Dh6,000.
The prosecutor rejected the reduced sentence and decided to appeal against it with FSC, which overturned that verdict and ordered a retrial of the defendant.
FSC said that anti-drug laws in the UAE stipulate that punishment for persons convicted in taking drugs or possessing drugs for personal use must not be below six months or exceed two years.
“Courts are not authorized to reduce punishment in such offences for whatsoever reason in accordance with the existing laws,” FSC said.
