After the investigation process in the public prosecution is completed, if the General Attorney decides to transfer the case to Criminal Courts by issuing referral order, attendance of the accused becomes mandatory in the criminal court proceedings.
However, he has to be given an advanced notice of 3 days before the hearing date, if the crime is a misdemeanor. The period has to be 10 days if the crime is a Felony.
The court notice has to indicate what the charges are and what the penalties are. Such notice of referral of the case to the court has to be delivered to the accused personally, either to his home or his workplace. Nevertheless, if the location of the accused is unknown it has to be delivered to the nearest Police station of his residence. If his residence is unknown then the notice of the referral has to be delivered to the nearest Police Station of the Crime scene.
Disclaimer: This article comprises broad and general information about legal materials. The material is general advice and not legal advice, and should not be treated as such. The legal information in this article is provided is extracted from the UAE Criminal Procedures Law Federal Law No. (35) Of the Year 1992 and based on our experiences as a law firm. The information provided are only guidelines. You should certainly not postpone pursuing legal advice, ignore legal advice, or begin or suspend any legal action because of information provided in this article. You must not rely on the information in this article as a substitute to legal counsel from your attorney or any other practiced professional legal services provider.This information is drafted by licensed legal practitioner and sent from Al Rowaad Advocates & Legal Consultants which is duly licensed law firm to practice law under UAE Law.
Author: Mr. Hassan Elhais, along with his team of legal consultants and prominent local lawyers across the UAE, has made a name for himself as a renowned specialist in the fields of civil law, construction law, banking law, criminal law, family law, inheritance law and arbitration.