Questions & Answers
Legal advice for defending a criminal case of defamation and slander
Good afternoon,
I was involved in an argument with my neighbours due to noise from their side, the argument escalated and I called them names.
During the argument, I called the police. When the police arrived, the involved neighbours had left already. The police said that I could file a complaint at the police station, but I didn't.
The next day, I received a call from the police informing me that they filed a complaint against me. The case is currently awaiting transfer to the prosecution.
I was told not to try and contact the neighbours in order not to escalate it to a bigger case. It's been almost 2 months and my passport is on hold with the police since then.
I need your advice to solve this matter.
Thank you
Hello
From the facts you provided, the police are probably investigating the complaint against you for the crime of slander, which is where a defamatory statement was made verbally against another.
For slander, the punishment can be either detention for a maximum term of two years or a fine for a maximum AED 20,000 depending on the severity of the crime (Articles 371-373 of The Penal Code).
We highly recommend you seek legal advice from a criminal defence lawyer in this case as you may be facing jail time in a worst-case scenario.
As such, we would be happy to assist if you wish to set up a meeting with one of our criminal defence lawyers.
