ABU DHABI // Ten Somali men accused of piracy who were caught in a special forces raid that freed the hijacked UAE ship MV Arrilah appeared in court yesterday.
Special counter-terrorism units stormed the bulk oil carrier in April last year after it was hijacked in the Arabian Sea, east of Oman, en route from Australia to Jebel Ali.
The 37,000-tonne ship is owned by two subsidiaries of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and the rescue was said at the time to show the UAE’s commitment to acting firmly in the face of piracy. The alleged pirates have appeared twice before at the Federal Court of First Instance.
They appeared yesterday without a lawyer.
“Since you cannot afford a lawyer, the Ministry of Justice will appoint one for you,” the judge told the defendants.
“He will present his defence next hearing.”
A legal source said that a lawyer should be appointed for charges that could lead to a death or life sentence, and other severe penalties in Sharia law.
The trial is considered invalid if such verdicts were issued without a defence lawyer.
The case was adjourned until later this month.
hdajani@thenational.ae
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
