DUBAI // A policeman jailed after posting a video of himself on social media holding Argentine footballer Lionel Messi’s passport should be acquitted as the clip caused no harm to the Barcelona star, his lawyer argued at the Dubai Court of Appeal.
Abdul Moniem bin Suwaidan, of Bin Suwaidan Advocates and Legal Consultants, told judges that 26-year-old Emirati J S M had permission to make the video from Messi’s business manager.
J S M was sentenced to one month in jail by the Dubai Court of Misdemeanors last month. He was detained for 21 days and suspended from work at Dubai police.
He confessed in both courts to a charge of breaching Messi’s privacy and said it was only a joke.
His lawyer requested that he be acquitted because the charge “lacks all elements of assault”.
“It is similar to the case of the two men who took a picture of themselves near the Address Hotel when it went up in flames but prosecutors dismissed charges saying it caused harm to no one, and my client also caused harm to no one. Even Messi, did he even see the video or expressed being offended by it?” said the lawyer.
The incident occurred on December 27 when J S M was at Dubai International Airport’s private jet area.
Prosecutors said he waited for the Barcelona footballer to arrive and tried to have his photo taken with him but was told he could not as Messi, who was recently named a global ambassador for Expo 2020, was exhausted from the flight.
Messi was in Dubai to receive the Player of the Year award at the Globe Soccer Awards.
The policeman noticed Messi’s passport on the control desk, so picked it up and shot a video of himself holding it.
The clip was posted on Snapchat with the caption: “This is Messi’s, he is here in Dubai, what do I do? Shall I burn the passport or just put it back! Ok Ok you can go!”
Police were alerted a day after the clip was posted online and arrested J S M.
The officer said he had permission from who he thought was Messi’s bodyguard, who was standing next to the passport control desk. The man turned out to be Messi’s business manager, according to J S M’s lawyer.
“He was standing there so I spoke to him in English and asked him if I could take a picture of myself with the player’s passport and he said yes,” said J S M.
After uploading the clip to Snapchat, J S M said that he deleted it.
“I have no idea how it got circulated. I was just kidding and had never done this thing with anyone else before. I was wrong and I promise I would never repeat such a behaviour,” said J S M.
Emirati policeman M A, 31, said that orders banning the use of mobile phones during working hours were clear.
“I don’t know why he did that, he knows its not allowed. We all would love to have a picture with Messi but it’s not allowed,” he said.
A verdict is expected to be issued on March 8.
salamir@thenational.ae
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Transmission: Six-speed auto
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Alia’s winning experiment examined how genes might change under the stresses caused by being in space, such as cosmic radiation and microgravity.
Her samples were placed in a machine on board the International Space Station. called a miniPCR thermal cycler, which can copy DNA multiple times.
After the samples were examined on return to Earth, scientists were able to successfully detect changes caused by being in space in the way DNA transmits instructions through proteins and other molecules in living organisms.
Although Alia’s samples were taken from nematode worms, the results have much bigger long term applications, especially for human space flight and long term missions, such as to Mars.
It also means that the first DNA experiments using human genomes can now be carried out on the ISS.
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Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
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The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Speed: 0-100km/h 3.9 seconds
Price: Dh230,000
On sale: now
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If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Funchal via Lisbon, with a connecting flight with Air Portugal. Economy class returns cost from Dh3,845 return including taxes.
The trip
The WalkMe app can be downloaded from the usual sources. If you don’t fancy doing the trip yourself, then Explore offers an eight-day levada trails tour from Dh3,050, not including flights.
The hotel
There isn’t another hotel anywhere in Madeira that matches the history and luxury of the Belmond Reid's Palace in Funchal. Doubles from Dh1,400 per night including taxes.
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Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
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Saint-Etienne v Montpellier (10.45pm)
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Monaco v Caen (7pm)
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Angers v Toulouse (10pm)
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If you had all the money in the world, what’s the one sneaker you would buy or create?
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