A man serving a life sentence after murdering a compatriot in a cash row has won his bid for early release.
The 40-year-old Pakistani was locked up for 25 years after stabbing his victim to death at the car park of a fish market in Naif, Dubai, in May, 2003.
He knifed the man, who was then in his early 20s, after demanding that he return money that he said he owed him.
The defendant's appeal for early release was approved, despite prosecutors calling for him to remain in jail.
The victim had been in the area with his father and a friend when the defendant followed him back to his car.
The defendant stabbed him in the heart, with a knife he had bought from a fish shop in the area, before fleeing the scene.
The victim tried to drive his car after the attack but crashed into a post, grabbing the attention of a fish market worker who rushed to the scene and saw the bloodied man collapse after getting out of the vehicle.
"He was in bloodied clothes, he couldn't walk straight or talk. He collapsed a metre away from his car door," said the Pakistani witness who called the victim's father and police.
The Pakistani father, who was 45 at the time and is now aged 60, tried to talk to his son and find out who stabbed him but he was unable to talk.
The man was taken to the emergency room of Rashid Hospital, where he died minutes after arrival.
Police arrested the defendant at his friend’s house in Al Ain after several witnesses said they last saw the victim with him.
During questioning, the defendant admitted to stabbing the man because he owed him money.
He was sentenced to life in prison by Dubai Criminal Court. Prosecutors appealed, hoping he would be sentenced to death instead, but the prison sentence was upheld.
The defendant has served 15 years of his 25-year sentence, making him eligible to apply for early release.
He obtained a good conduct certificate from the correctional facilities in Dubai and submitted it to the criminal court.
Prosecutors submitted a counter-document recommending the rejection of the inmate’s request.
The man will be deported when his release from prison is finalised.
