On Wednesday, a court in the United Arab Emirates sentenced Iraqi-born Australian Naim Abbas to five years' jail after he was found guilty of conveying confidential information to Qatar about road projects.
His Sydney-based brother Adil Abbas told SBS Arabic24 that Naim was also fined 5000 Emirate Dirhams ($A2000), and would immediately be deported back to Australia after serving his sentence.
“We, the family, were shocked after knowing about the sentence passed on Naim through a phone call from his Dubai-based lawyer Mr Obied Alshamisy,” Adel Abbas said.
Adil said the family was “very frustrated” by the verdict.
Naim Abbas, a 65-year-old who lives in Dubai, has been held in the UAE on espionage charges since October 2017, over claims he conveyed information about Roads and Transport Authority Dubai to a Qatari officer without his manager’s consent.
In a voice message obtained by SBS Arabic24 in November, Mr Abbas rejected the charges and said he was blindfolded following his arrest, and didn't get to read his own statement before signing.
He then called on the Australian government to intervene, saying: "All I want is your support, minister for foreign affairs, the prime minister Just like any other citizen needs your help."
Adil Abbas said his brother planned to appeal the verdict.
“We will appeal the verdict and there are some steps we discussed with the lawyer in this respect,” he said.
Mr Abass' Sydney-based family holds grave concerns for his health, as he is diabetic and suffers from ulcers and other illnesses.
“The medicine provided to him by the Emirate prison authorities are not enough for him,” Adil Abbas said.
Adil Abbas said he hoped that the Australian government would apply a similar push that led to the release of Australian filmmaker James Ricketson who was sentenced to six years' jail by a Cambodian court for espionage but released after a special pardon.
Adil Abbas said he was told by DFAT that his brother was “in an intensive security prison where visits are only allowed to first-degree family members [brothers and sisters] and by applying to the UAE public prosecutor, a process that takes months to approve".
He said all family members based in UAE tried several times to obtain permission to visit but failed.
