UAE orders arrest of man over ‘arrogant display of wealth’ on Instagram

UAE prosecutors have ordered the arrest of a man who filmed an “arrogant” social media video inside a luxury car showroom in the country.

According to a report by state-run news agency WAM, the video insults and ridicules Emirati society and incites harmful public opinion of citizens.

In the offending video an Asian man in Emirati dress is seen attempting to buy a $545,000 car while been flanked by people carrying large sums of money.The Federal Prosecution for Combating Rumours and Cybercrimes has ordered the detention of a resident of Asian nationality pending investigations after being accused of abusing the internet in posting exciting propaganda that stirs up the public opinion and harms the public interest.

He was also charged with publishing a content that inconsistent with the media content standards and insults the Emirati society.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation at the UAE Attorney General Office monitored a social media video clip in which the defendant was seen wearing Emirati dress inside a luxury car showroom and followed by two persons carrying what appears to be large sums of money.

The video showed the man talking with the owner of the showroom and “arrogantly” asking to buy a car valued at more than AED2m ($545,000).

He was also shown distributing financial packages to the showroom employees in a way that reveals imprudence and lack of appreciation of the value of money.

The video promotes a wrong and offensive mental image of Emirati citizens and ridicules them, and then incites and provokes public opinion, which harms the public interest.

The Public Prosecution ordered the summoning of the owner of the car showroom in which the aforementioned video clip was filmed.

The Public Prosecution urged the social media users in the UAE to observe the legal and ethical regulations in the media content they publish and to consider societal characteristics and embedded values of the UAE society that call for moral commitment in all aspects of behaviour, so as to avoid falling under the force of the law.