By – Mohamed Nabil
Presidential Pardon by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, to Hedges, the accused British spy, as part of a tranche of clemency orders issued on the occasion of the UAE’s 47th National Day anniversary. Hedges will be permitted to leave the UAE once formalities are completed, according to WAM.
This pardon came Hedges’ family appealed for clemency in a personal letter to President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeals had found Matthew Hedges, a British Citizen, guilty of the crime of spying for and on behalf of a foreign state, jeopardising the military, economic and political security of the UAE. Hedges was sentenced to life imprisonment.