Legal expertise UAE
Legal expertise UAE
Acourt in Abu Dhabi has convicted two men of disrupting public order by equipping a vehicle with emergency warning systems without legal authorisation, sentencing them to prison for six months, in a ruling that highlights the UAE’s strict penalties for the illegal use of these systems, which can endanger public safety and undermine the work of authorised emergency services.
One of the defendants was also fined Dh100,000 by the Abu Dhabi Criminal Court. An order was issued to conficate the vehicle that was fitted with warning lights designated for emergency vehicles without obtaining the required approval. The emergency warning systems were also seized.
The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department said the first defendant was sentenced to six months in prison and the confiscation of the vehicle after being found guilty of driving the vehicle on a public road a vehicle. The other man, who is a manager of a company specialising in security systems trading, was sentenced to six months in prison, fined Dh100,000, and ordered the confiscation of the company’s inventory related to the equipment supplied to the first defendant. He was convicted of supplying and installing emergency system equipment without the required authorisation.
The offence was uncovered after security monitoring systems detected a vehicle travelling on a public road with warning lights reserved for emergency vehicles. The vehicle was identified through security reports and smart surveillance systems, and its driver was found to have no legal permit to use the equipment.
Investigations later identified the company responsible for supplying and installing the systems. The company manager was apprehended, and both defendants were referred to the Abu Dhabi Public Prosecution.
Authorities urged members of the public to comply with legal requirements and warned commercial establishments against selling, supplying or installing emergency warning lights or audible signals on private vehicles to avoid legal accountability.
