ABU DHABI // A port worker accused of espionage has claimed the information he spread was freely available to anyone.
At the state security court on Monday, the lawyer for M T B, 54, a logistics supervisor at an Abu Dhabi port, claimed the information he is accused of passing to his country’s embassy was not considered confidential.
“Except for one piece of information about the American ship,” the lawyer, Mohammed Al Aswad, claimed.
He allegedly reported its departure date and docking location. However, it has not been proven that he received any financial benefit or any reward for passing that information, the lawyer claimed.
Mr Al Aswad also argued that the investigation and public prosecution reports were invalid. The results of the cyber forensics lab were also invalid, because all the recordings, calls and voice notes were monitored after the inspection permit issued for the case had expired.
Prosecutors charged M T B, from South Asia, with leaking confidential national security information to his home country through two intelligence officers who work at its embassy.
A verdict will be announced on January 10.
hdajani@thenational.ae