ABU DHABI // A man was jailed for seven years on Monday after being found guilty of joining and funding the Muslim Brotherhood in the UAE.
Mohammed Ali Al Shehhi, 36, was found to be a member of a group linked to the extremist organisation, which sought to overthrow the Government.
Prosecutors said after the trial of 94 Muslim Brotherhood members last year, Al Shehhi continued to meet remaining members to keep it going.
He was convicted at the Federal Supreme Court, Abu Dhabi for taking part in activities in the organisation, such as being in charge of the membership committee at the Brotherhood’s Dubai office and revising reports on projects.
Al Shehhi documented the committee’s work on electronic devices which were confiscated in 2012 as part of the sedition trial of the 94 men and women.
He was also in charge of the charity committee, collected alms and donations, and transferred money to other members of the organisation.
Prosecutors said the money was used to fund Brotherhood branches in other Arab countries. But Al Shehhi denied the charges, claiming he had studied overseas for 13 years.
Defending himself last month, he said he had taken part in Quran memorisation classes and high school religious lectures with friends.
He said he attended public events to learn more about Islam, but no organisation was involved, and any charity work was only to help others.
Defence lawyers said the case against Al Shehhi was based on oral testimonies, with no hard evidence. They said he could not be prosecuted for activities during his youth, and that charitable work did not fall under criminal activity.
Al Shehhi was said to have taken large sums of money from a charity in Dubai, but his lawyers said it was impossible that such finances would go missing unnoticed. They said he had lost communication with the members of the Brotherhood.
He will not be able to appeal against his sentence.
aalkhoori@thenational.ae