Chinese National Loses Appeal over Gambling and Prostitution Den Sentence

An unemployed Chinese national caught running prostitution and gambling den from a United Arab Emirates villa loses his case at the Dubai Appeals Court.

The man was operating a brothel and a gambling business inside the villa in Abu Hail, Dubai, until it was busted following a police call to the building. Gambling in the United Arab Emirates is totally illegal and The Dubai Criminal Court sentenced him to one year behind bars to be followed by deportation.

Citing insufficient evidence, the criminal court acquitted three female Chinese visitors while a female student was also arrested over allegations they had practiced prostitution in the villa.

The boss insisted that he was also innocent and decided to challenge the verdict. However, the Appeals Court’s jury presided by Judge Saeed Obaid upheld the lower court’s decision.

Caught after stabbing incident

An Emirati Lieutenant said that at around 4:45am, they received an alert regarding a stabbing occurring inside the villa. He and other investigation officers rushed to the property to assist when they walked into an unexpected scene.

The Lieutenant said: “The villa was monitored by digital cameras and comprised nine apartments. It had two rooms that the suspects used as a nightclub. There was another room allocated for gambling.” He added: “There were a lot of alcoholic drinks everywhere.”

Police officers revealed that the knife assault had taken place in the salon. Following a misunderstanding, a group of persons had attacked their Chinese colleague. It is surprising the Chinese man never received a longer sentence due to strict Emirate gambling laws.