UAE court hands three-year jail term, Dh5mn fine over false marriage claims
Court enforces account shutdown and seizure of devices used in offence
ABU DHABI – The Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeals’ State Security Chamber has sentenced Emirati national Saif Salem Saif Ali Al Maqbali to three years in prison and imposed a Dh5 million fine.
The court also ordered deletion of the offensive video, closure of his social media accounts, and confiscation of the mobile phone used in the offence.
The case was referred to an expedited trial by the UAE Attorney-General after investigations found a video inciting marriage to underage girls in Morocco and falsely claiming Moroccan law permits it.
Investigations further confirmed that the defendant used rhetoric capable of provoking sedition, hatred and societal discrimination, while undermining fraternal relations between the Emirati and Moroccan peoples. Authorities said the content constituted a serious breach of UAE laws and deeply rooted societal values, leading to strict legal measures alongside the prison sentence and financial penalty.