UAE Court Gives Life Term to 24 in Terror Finance Case

Post by : Bandanpreet Kaur

Photo: WAM

On Thursday, 26 June 2025, the Federal Supreme Court in the UAE made an important decision. The Criminal Chamber of the court changed part of an earlier ruling made by the State Security Chamber at the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal.

The Supreme Court decided to reconvict 24 people in a case known to the public as the “Terrorist Justice and Dignity Organisation” case. These 24 people were sentenced to life in prison. The court found them guilty of working with the Terrorist Justice and Dignity Organisation and of giving money to another group called the Al-Islah Terrorist Organisation. The court also ordered that all the money and things connected to these crimes be taken away.

Earlier, Attorney General Dr. Hamad Saif Al Shamsi had appealed the ruling of the Abu Dhabi court. That court had dropped the charges against these people for working with the Terrorist Justice and Dignity Organisation and for giving money to Al-Islah. The court had said they could not be charged again because they were already tried in 2012 in Case No. 79 of State Security.

However, the Attorney General said this decision was wrong. He explained that the previous case in 2012 only punished them for making and managing the Al-Islah Organisation, but did not punish them for the separate crimes of giving money to a terrorist group and working with it. These are different and more serious crimes under UAE law. He argued that they should be punished for these new crimes, with the court taking into account the time they have already spent in jail for the earlier crime.

The Supreme Court agreed with the Attorney General. It said the two cases are about different crimes. The 2012 case only punished them for creating and running the group, while the current case is about giving money to a terrorist group and working with it. So, the earlier ruling does not stop them from being punished now for these new crimes.

Because of this, the Supreme Court changed the earlier judgment and sentenced the 24 people to life in prison.

Earlier, the State Security Chamber of the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal had convicted 53 other people and 6 companies in this same “Terrorist Justice and Dignity Organisation” case. They were given life sentences, temporary prison sentences, and fines worth a total of 20 million dirhams. One person was found not guilty.

With this new ruling by the Federal Supreme Court, the total number of people found guilty in this case has reached 83 out of the 84 who were sent to trial.