Felony

A felony is the most serious category of crime under UAE law, covering offences such as serious fraud and embezzlement, drug trafficking, grievous assault, and crimes against state security, with punishments ranging from longer-term imprisonment to life sentences and, for the gravest offences, the death penalty. Felonies are investigated by the Public Prosecution with broader detention powers and tried before the felonies circuit, typically a panel of judges. Convictions can carry mandatory deportation for foreign nationals and long-lasting consequences for residence, employment and civil rights. Procedural protections are correspondingly stronger: legal representation matters at every stage, and appeal and cassation routes are available. It matters because classification drives everything — detention length, bail prospects, court formation and sentence range all change when a charge is framed as a felony rather than a misdemeanour. You meet the distinction early, when the prosecution decides the charge; contesting that classification is often a core defence strategy.