A man who secretly filmed a husband and wife through a hole in the wall in their Karama apartment has been jailed for two months and will be deported at the end of his sentence.
The husband told Dubai Criminal Court how he grabbed the man's hand and took his phone when he caught him making the video.
The man and the couple lived in the same apartment, separated by a wooden partition.
“I was with my wife when I felt somebody watching us,” court records showed the husband said.
“I was shocked when I realised the man who lived in the next room was recording us on his mobile phone through a hole in the gypsum wall.
“I grabbed his hand and took away the phone before calling the police.”
Sharing apartments is illegal in the UAE, but the couple said they could not afford their own home.
The police did not reveal if any action was taken against the landlord or tenants for sub-leasing the flat.
Officials arrived at the apartment after midnight and arrested the man who admitted to recording the couple for 25 seconds. The husband gave the phone to the officer.
“I tried to have a look through a hole in the wooden partition that separates the rooms and recorded them for 25 seconds using my mobile phone,” court records showed the man said.
He asked for mercy after he was found guilty of breaching the privacy of the couple.
The verdict is subject to appeal within 15 days.
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Wed, Aug 29:
- Malaysia bt Hong Kong by 3 wickets
- Oman bt Nepal by 7 wickets
- UAE bt Singapore by 215 runs
Thu, Aug 30:
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Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
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NYBL PROFILE
Company name: Nybl
Date started: November 2018
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Sector: Software Technology / Artificial Intelligence
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Funding round: Series B (raising $5m)
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Nationality: Emirati
Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn
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The children worked as young volunteers in social, education and health campaigns
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2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
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The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
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August 2025
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
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