Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Abu Dhabi - A man has been jailed for 6 months for using unlicensed equipment

[khaleej times] A man landed in jail for six months for using telecommunication devices not licensed by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA).

The Abu Dhabi Court of Appeal upheld the lower court’s verdict convicting the defendant of using unlicensed devices to make international calls.

The Public Prosecution charged him with making international calls through these devices from the country and exhibiting them for sale to reap illegal gains. It demanded the defendant be prosecuted under Articled 5/75 and 3/73 of the Federal law No. 3 of 2003 regarding regulation of the telecommunication sector in the UAE.

He was referred to the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of First Instance, which cleared him for lack of evidence. But the Public Prosecution contested the verdict, demanding the court to seek the advice of a technical expert to support its case.

Acting upon the expert’s report, which corroborated the charges, the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal quashed the acquittal and sentenced him to six months in jail.

The court ruled that the UAE lawmakers enacted the said federal law to regulate the telecommunication business in the country and protect the interests of others from abuse.

“Anyone living in the UAE should respect the telecommunications legislation and other laws that serve and preserve the rights of both the community and individuals alike,” the court said.

Court jails man for making calls abroad with illegal devices

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