Dubai: A former head of the complaints department at a domestic worker recruitment firm has been acquitted of data theft charges by the Dubai Court of Appeal due to insufficient evidence.
The Egyptian national was initially convicted in absentia and sentenced to three months in prison, followed by deportation. However, after a thorough review of the case, the Court of Appeal dismissed the charges and overturned the lower court’s ruling.
Allegations and Initial Conviction
Prosecutors accused the defendant of misusing confidential client information by allegedly transferring customer contact details from his work email to a personal account. The primary evidence presented by the prosecution was an email dated July 17, 2023, purportedly sent from the defendant’s iCloud account to his Gmail account. The attached file, titled “my contacts,” reportedly contained sensitive information on 2,950 clients.
The case relied on a preliminary digital forensic report and statements from company officials, including the manager, who claimed the defendant had shared the data across personal accounts. These testimonies led to an April 17, 2024, ruling by the Dubai Criminal Court, which found him guilty and sentenced him to jail.
Appeal and Independent Forensic Analysis
The defense, led by Hanan Salem Al Shammili’s Law Firm, contested the verdict and filed an appeal, denying all allegations. During the appeal proceedings, the court ordered an independent forensic reinvestigation to reassess the credibility of the evidence.
The newly appointed expert concluded that there was no definitive proof linking the defendant to the alleged data leak. Furthermore, the forensic review failed to establish whether the defendant had accessed or transferred client information. The phone suspected to have been used for the alleged breach could not be conclusively connected to him.
Court’s Ruling and Acquittal
The Dubai Court of Appeal found that the prosecution’s case was built on repetitive testimonies lacking substantial evidence. As a result, the court ruled in favor of the defendant on February 5, clearing him of all charges.
The ruling highlights the importance of concrete digital evidence in cyber-related cases and reaffirms the court’s commitment to ensuring justice based on verified facts rather than speculation.