A physician was cleared of taking, possessing and selling controlled drugs after his lawyer proved to the court that he did not need the extra money.
The Iraqi doctor was arrested in Al Qusais in Dubai in August after police were told he had been selling Pregabalin – a medication for epilepsy marketed under the brand name Lyrica.
His case was referred to an Abu Dhabi court under rules issued a year ago that made the capital’s courts responsible for all cases involving suspected drug dealing.
The doctor was also charged with possessing and using the drug – which the doctor denied.
He presented a prescription as evidence to prove he obtained the tablets legally as treatment, but the nature of his illness was not disclosed in records.
Meanwhile, his lawyer argued that the defendant did not need to sell drugs for money as he had a well-paying job.
"It doesn't make sense that a doctor, earning as much as Dh40,000 a month and living in a villa he owns, would risk that to sell controlled painkillers and for only Dh375," Emirati lawyer Mohammad Al Redha told Abu Dhabi Criminal Court.
"He is a reputable member of the community and this accusation lacks all kinds of evidence to back it up except for police officers finding the tablets which he possessed based on a prescription two months prior his arrest," said Mr Al Redha.
The doctor was acquitted of all charges for lack of evidence on October 29.
