Dubai court again clears ex-minister of fraud

Court of Appeals acquits Falasi of corruption charges on appeal for second time.

DUBAI - A former United Arab Emirates minister, Khalifa Bakhit al-Falasi, was cleared on Sunday of corruption charges on appeal for a second time, his lawyer said.

Dubai's "Court of Appeals acquitted my client Khalifa Bakhit al-Falasi" along with two co-defendants, an American and an Indian who were earlier convicted along with Falasi, Hussein al-Jaziri said.

Falasi, 51, was sentenced to two years in prison on February 24 for fraudulently taking control of a company after the death of his Lebanese business partner.

He was freed on appeal on May 28, but in July, a higher court threw out that ruling, ordering the former minister without portfolio to be tried again before the Dubai court by new judges.

Sunday's acquittal was the result of the second appeals court trial.

Falasi's 26-year-old son was acquitted of wrongdoing in the initial trial, but the American and the Indian were handed two-year prison terms for complicity.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=35833.